


In Sickness and in Health

by Jastra



Category: SCP - Containment Breach, SCP Foundation
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Horror, Marriage, Obsessive Behavior, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Behavior, Rating May Change, Reader-Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24232348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jastra/pseuds/Jastra
Summary: You had never expected to fall in love while working as an assistant in an SCP containment facility. But here you are, soon to be wed to your doctor boyfriend of two years. With both of you working for the Foundation, the marriage ceremony was going to be held inside the facility. It was going to be beautiful.Unfortunately for you, your fiancé is not the only doctor who has feelings for you.
Relationships: Reader/reader's fiance, SCP-049 (SCP Foundation) & Reader, SCP-049 (SCP Foundation)/Reader
Comments: 81
Kudos: 271





	1. Engaged

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something more lighthearted for a change. English is not my native language so forgive me for any mistakes (I'll try to fix them!)

There was a wide smile of pure happiness on your face as you walked, or more like danced through the long and seemingly endless corridors of the research facility, making everyone you came across give you an amused look.

 _All of this feels so odd,_ _so dreamy_ , you muse as the butterflies gather in your stomach once again. Even though you were deep within the cold and highly secure SCP foundation's research and containment facility, with very little colour or comfort around you, it still felt like you were dancing on fluffy clouds with everything looking very bright and colourful around you.

Hell, you were almost ready to just sing out your bliss to every personnel and SCP you came across, even if such behaviour would quickly draw suspicion.

No doubt the doctors would think you to be under the influence of some SCP and quickly quarantine you, ready to perform all kinds of tests to determine what was wrong with you. Though, you had a feeling even that would do little to diminish your joy.

No, absolutely nothing could bring you down from your personal heaven, not even the cranky old doctor you never got along with. To your unfortunate luck the said doctor appeared from behind the corner, gaze fixated on some notes in his hand.

He almost crashed into you, but you manage to side step just in time to avoid hitting him. He shot you a nasty and demeaning glare, but in your bliss, you just smiled at him and gave the most happy and genuine, ”Oh, good evening,” that made even him slightly flustered.

The old balding doctor muttered a quiet “good evening” underneath his breath and quickly turned his attention back to the research papers in his hand before hurrying along to whatever unknown destination he had. Despite disliking you to the point of loathing, even he did not want to try and bring you down when you were so happy.

You just chuckled before continuing your journey towards the containment cells.

But what was the reason for your happiness?

Well, your boyfriend of two years had proposed to you few days ago and each passing day it felt like your heart soared higher and higher. Perhaps it had been a bit fast, but with you both working for the foundation in the same facility, things just had proceeded surprisingly quickly.

You could still feel the butterflies in your stomach bouncing around as you recalled the way your boyfriend had gotten onto his knee and popped the question. The two of you had been enjoying a night out in the nearby city with your co-workers and while dining together as a group in your favourite restaurant, he had pulled out the ring and proposed to you.

The proposal had come out of blue and had been quite the shock, so much so that you had just gawked at him for a good while, to the point your co-workers had been sure you'd faint. But you had eventually snapped out of it and said “yes” to your boyfriend's relief.

It had been such a perfect and fun night that had lasted till the early morning hours, and totally worth accidentally sleeping in and getting chewed out by the mean old doctor. You had been such a mess that day that had the plague doctor, SCP-049, accused you of being afflicted with the great pestilence, you probably would have agreed with him on that. You had felt so dead the whole day,, dead but extremely happy.

Surprisingly enough, the entity had merely lifted his gaze from his research journal when you had gone to fetch something from the room connected to the containment cell and said "you look tired," before turning his attention back to his research papers and murmuring “the only cure for that is long rest.” The comment had warmed your heart, mostly because usually the plague doctor ignored most visitors. It did not seem to mind your company.

As you made your way towards the SCP-049's containment cell, you couldn't help but recall the day you had met your boyfriend two years ago. It was such a fond memory, but also one that made you grimace and want to bury your face into your hands in embarrassment.

You were certain he was never going to let go of that little incident. Fortunately it was a story he could only tell to the people who worked for the Foundation, so your family would never hear the horrible details.

_You stood there in the middle of the archive room, unable to take a single step forward or backwards due to the fear that had rooted your feet to the floor. Adrenaline was coursing through your veins and you could feel your heart hammering painfully hard against your chest as a coil of pure fear and anxiety slowly tightened around it, making your breaths shorter and faster._

_'What should I do?' you think, hugging the heavy research file against your chest as you stare at the unknown object on the table across you. Your instructor's words of wisdom about how when encountering an unknown SCP, one should remain calm and collected echo in your mind, but they did little to chase away the overwhelming fear and despair that had taken over you._

_There was about 3 meters between you and the unknown object that sat on the research table on top of some books and papers._

_It was the most hideous statue you had ever seen. It was about 30 cm tall and looked like some sort of ungodly mix between a garden gnome and a frog, made from some sort of ceramic material. Its fugly large eyes staring into your soul and the creepy friendly smile made your skin crawl. You had never seen it before and your mind jumped right away to SCP-173, even if this thing was made from different material._

_You didn't dare to blink and your eyes were drying so fast._

_If I blink, will it crush my head or snap my neck? You think in panic, wondering if this was some sort of offshoot of SCP-173 perhaps. What did it do?_

_'It has to be an SCP! No one would want to buy something this ugly.'_

_You blink, half expecting to get attacked, but the frog statue just sat there unmoving. You try to recall all SCPs you knew that were contained in the facility but nothing resembling this one came to mind. It had to be something a mere assistant did not need to know about and now it had escaped!_

_The door behind you opened and you almost jump. You glance over your shoulder to see a male doctor (a rather handsome too) walk in with a steaming hot coffee cup in his left hand._

“ _No! Don't come in! It is dangerous.” you say in panic and the doctor's steps come to an instant halt._

_He looks at you and can see the soul consuming fear reflected in your eyes, the sense of helplessness and desperation._

“ _What is it?” the doctor asked quietly and is clearly alarmed, eyes scanning the room for a threat. His voice was so calm and gentle, but also firm and slightly assertive, like he had assumed control in this moment. He clearly wanted to help you. “Calm down...it is going to be alright, tell me what is wrong.”_

_You swallow and nod, trying your best to calm down enough to tell what was going on._

“ _The statue on the desk,” you whisper and nod towards the frog-gnome with a gardening hoe in its hands. “I don't recognize that SCP! I don't know what it does.”_

_The doctor glanced at the table, clearly baffled by your words. He looks at you again, then turns his attention back to the statue._

“ _You mean that? The frog statue?”_

_You nod again, hoping the doctor would know what it was._

_He was silent for a moment, looking completely baffled._

“ _SCP? Wait what? No that...that is just statue for my garden I picked from the town this morning....” He said all confused, his mind still processing what was going on._

_You blink in confusion and turn your attention to the statue again that just stared at the two of you with a toothy grin on its amphibian face._

_The silence between the two of you is so heavy that one could hear a pin drop, until you hear him crack up a bit._

_You can feel how your professionalism just disintegrates and gets blown into the non-existent wind inside the room. Your face heats up as you walk up to the table with the statue and leave the research notes this very same doctor had requested, only to turn around and dash out of the room while trying not to look at the doctor who was trying his all to hold his laughter in._

_You could not recall a time you had been this embarrassed. You'd be the laughing stock of the whole facility. No one would take you seriously. Fortunately for you, that did not happen._

In your defense, that statue had been extremely unnerving and ugly looking and you had been new hire. Afterwards you had done your best to avoid the doctor who had “saved” you from that horrible entity, but eventually he had cornered you in a archive room to apologize. He admitted to having poor judgement to bring such a thing to a research complex filled with extraordinary items and entities. He had then invited you out to a dinner as an apology after work and well, one thing had lead to another and the two of you had ended up dating.

The small smile on your face widens and your eyes become somewhat dreamy as you run your card through the reader to unlock the door to room adjacent to SCP-049s containment.

_Is a foundation worker allowed to be this happy?_

As you step inside, you instantly hear the familiar scribbling sound coming from the cell and see the doctor working on yet another dead animal, a sheep this time, marking his findings diligently into his journal that no one besides him could read.

 _I see he is working late as well,_ you think as you quietly move to get the external hard drive you had forgotten yesterday. Come to think of it, you had never seen the plague doctor sleep.

_Does he dream? I wonder what his dreams are like. Probably mostly about pestilence._

After doctor Hamm's death the Foundation had denied SCP-049 all requests for test subjects, but because the entity had quickly started to show signs of depression, they had let him resume his work, albeit with only animals like cats, goats, dogs etc. Not simians of any sort.

 _I wonder how long he has existed. He must have so many memories, even without having paid any attention to the turmoil of history,_ you pondered as you absent-mindedly stared at the doctor veiled in black leather robes that were a part of his body. He had probably travelled across the world, only to end up contained here.

Your smile turns a bit sad as you reminiscent on the time SCP-049 was brought to the facility. You had been there from the very beginning, helping the doctors like Dr. Hamm and other researchers figure out what kind of a creature the well spoken and courteous SCP was.

_Dr.Hamm...._

You, like so many others, missed him dearly. He had been a good man and one of the nicest doctors you had the honour to work with. His death in SCP-049's hands had been such a tragedy. But alas, danger was ever constant when working for the Foundation, and life quickly moved on in a facility filled with dangerous SCPs. No one was irreplaceable.

As his assistant, observing the interviews with 049 had been one of your duties. You had helped with notes, recording and various miscellaneous tasks, and though your work had been somewhat menial and your presence easily forgotten, it had lied the foundation for your later work with the plague doctor.

The memory of SCP-049 acknowledging your presence for the first time was something you'd never forget.

_'How does a thing like that come to exist?' you pondered as you stared at the tall, black robed SCP that was sitting alone inside the interview room, calmly waiting for Doctor Hamm who had stepped outside for a moment to discuss something with other researchers. 'What does it think? Is it even aware of what is going on?' You had so many questions that you knew would probably never be answered._

_You sat by the window that opened to the interview room with a note book in your hands, paying no mind to the group of doctors that were huddled together in the corner, discussing what tests they should do to the newly discovered SCP._

_You had watched Dr. Hamm interview it multiple times now, yet each time you still found yourself mesmerized by the plague doctor. It was so calm, eloquent and human like while still commanding an intimidating presence. There was something very uncanny and unnerving about it._

_It seemed like the attention you were giving the plague doctor did not go unnoticed by it. You can feel how a shiver runs down your spine and your heart starts to hammer faster against your chest when the SCP slowly turns its head to look directly into your eyes, looking mildly irritated by your unintentional gawking._

_You had forgotten that this room did not have one way mirror. No doubt the creature was wondering why you were staring at it._

_As much as you want to avert your eyes and look down to your notes, you can't tear your gaze from its grey ones. The plague doctor studies you for a moment, as if evaluating you._

_Despite being more than slightly intimidated by the attention the tall and dangerous SCP was giving you, your lips curled into a small smile that was warm, friendly and maybe a bit apologetic. You glance at the doctors who pay you no mind and write down "Sorry, I did not mean to stare" on your notebook and show it to the entity behind the glass._

_The plague doctor eyes you a moment longer before courteously cocking its head to the side as a greeting and acknowledgement. And, as crazy as it sounded, you could have sworn that an amused smile had reached its eyes._

”It is not polite to stare,” you hear SCP-049 say calmly. He did not bother to lift his gaze from the pages of his journal.

”Oh, I am sorry, I did not mean to disrupt your work. I was completely lost in the maze of my thoughts,” you quickly apologize, feeling somewhat flustered. Your interactions with the euclid class SCP had come a long way after your initial silent greeting, to the point you had hard time referring to 049 as "it."

Even though it had been hard, you had continued to be friendly and show interest in the plague doctor's work and cure after Doctor Hamms' death. You could not help but feel sympathy for the SCP who had genuinely wanted to help the man he had deemed afflicted, even if his cure (along with the affliction) was something incomprehensible. There had been no malice to his actions and that's why you could not be angry with him like so many others.

Upon hearing your voice the masked SCP stops his writing and turns to look at you. No matter how many times you saw those cold grey eyes fixate on you, they still caused a shiver to run down your spine. It felt like he was staring straight through you.

”A thinking mind is a welcome one,” SCP-049 states pleasantly, closing the journal on the table before getting up and making his way over to the window that separated the rooms and you two from one another.

”To be honest, it is less thinking and more of daydreaming and reminiscing,” you reply with a soft sight as 049 towers over you. You started to feel slightly uneasy in its presence as usual, but in your current emotional state, the effect was greatly lessened.

For a moment the black robed SCP with white mask just studies you in silence, eyeing you from head to toes a couple of times.

"Perhaps so, but nonetheless, your company is an ever welcome distraction," the plague doctor finally says and bows his head elegantly to you. ”As always...it is refreshing to see you.”

Hearing how the SCP did not mind being distracted from his work by your presence warmed your heart.

“You know, it comforts me to know I am not the only one working a this hour. I trust you don't overwork yourself? Even a doctor needs rest, else the work might suffer,” you say with a smile, and though you say those words to the plague doctor, your mind was on your fiancé who had already clocked out.

The SCP is visibly surprised, having not expected a foundation member to worry for him, or his cure. He then lets out a small laugh that echoes eerily from the containment unit's walls.

“I assure you your concern is misplaced, but not unwelcome,” he replies graciously.

The warm and amused smile on your lips only widens and you find yourself fidgeting with your engagement ring, thinking of your love who always tried to sneak work back home as well. He was so devoted to his research, kinda like SCP-049.

The plague doctor tilts his head to the side a bit, clearly noticing how happy you are. Hell, you were almost glowing and floating in the air from sheer joy. Your soul felt so light and was not affected by the intimidating and uncanny aura the masked entity had.

“I see you are in good spirit tonight, may I inquire the reason for this?” 049 asks curiously, making you feel the heat on your face again. It had to be bad if even an euclid class SCP who was only obsessed with his research could notice that you were acting differently.

“Sorry, I must look like a complete fool, grinning with my mind miles away,” you lament but you just can't stop smiling, only to add “but, I just can't help it,” and lift your left hand to show the beautiful and elegant engagement ring on your finger.

SCP-049 goes quiet when his gaze fixates on the golden band around your ring finger, one that was to show you had promised yourself to another.

The sense of unease starts to creep in and take over your heart and mind when the plague doctor just stares at you in complete silence, his shadow cast over you. It was so hard to read the SCP's emotions when you could not read his facial expressions.

His gaze moves slowly up and down your form a couple of times, like he was assessing you. And though you weren't quite sure, you thought you had seen a flash of disappointment...and pain in his eyes.

”My, an engagement ring, I must admit I am...surprised,” SCP-049 noted calmly, but you could swear his voice was strained, like he tried to keep his emotions tightly under control. "I...” he took a deep breath. “I was not aware you were being courted."

 _Courted? He makes it sound so chivalrous and elegant_ , you muse, dismissing the nervousness that had taken root in your mind.

”Ah, but where are my manners? Congratulations are in order, are they not?” the plague doctor inquired.

Your happy laughter echoes from the walls, though it probably sounded cruel to someone who had affection for you.

"I guess they are,” you say, beaming with joy. “I have to say this is bit sudden for me as well. After all I've dated my fiancé only few years here."

 _Am I really talking about my marriage with an euclid class SCP?_ It felt so odd, surreal even. Though 049 was always conversational with you, the topics always resolved around the Pestilence, his research or containment. There was no room for anything else.

"Ah, another Foundation member then. I see, then again that is only natural," the doctor said somewhat dryly, staying silent for few seconds before continuing. "When are you to be wed?"

How curious. Apparently the plague doctor was well aware of the marriage system. One could only wonder how knowledgeable the entity was of the world around him.

”The marriage ceremony will be held in this facility within a month or so, not my first choice, but I guess it is for the best when all of our guests are co-workers," you laugh and eye your ring dreamily, failing to notice how the tall entity's body visibly tensed up..

"Such a short engagement..." the bird masked doctor noted quietly, voice barely more than a whisper. His tone was still gentle and so very polite.

You cannot help but giggle and give a playful shrug.

"A clause in my contract, nothing I can do about it."

It was kinda tragicomic how your contract of employment had a clause even for possible marriage between workers. The documentation had been thick and heavy enough to murder someone with.

It wasn't uncommon for work romances to bloom while working in a secluded facility with dangerous entities. The often times constant stress mixed with dangerous working conditions brought people together. Even though it was a shame you could not invite your old friends outside work, you understood the need for secrecy. The ceremony and reception were going to be held inside and no people from outside the foundation were allowed. It was going to be...a contained event.

”But of course. As usual, the Foundation chooses to be efficient when it comes to _inconsequential_ matters. I should have expected nothing less," SCP-049 scoffed, sounding extremely vexed and frustrated; bitter even. “The sheer audacity of it all. They remain willfully ignorant even to the suffering of their own people! My research must continue, and there is only so much I can do here.”

 _Ok, that kind of hurt_ , you can't help but think. It was a bit of a blow to your joyous feelings. You understood where he was coming from but still, calling your marriage inconsequential...that was uncalled for.

"I know how you feel about your containment and the organization. But the board has let you resume your research and..." you start reply quietly only to be cut off by the plague doctor.

"Yes, well I am starting to feel more of a veterinarian than a doctor...my cure is wasted on the dead flesh!” SCP-049 exclaimed in spiteful tone while gesturing towards the mutilated sheep he had been working on.. If he had his cane he'd be waving it around aggressively for certain. "The pestilence abounds these walls. It spreads like wild fire, twisting and rotting everything it touches, and the foundation does **nothing**!"

But before you can say anything to the plague doctor, he calms down and lets out a weary sigh, shaking his head slightly in disapproval.

"My apologies, I did not mean to offend you or take my frustration out on you like that. I am well aware that you are not the one in charge of my....current situation."

Your lips curl into a smile when the SCP calms down and apologizes for his harsh words.

“None taken, and just because I do not make the decisions does not mean I can't try to make your stay more comfortable,” you say despite knowing there was very little you could do that would help the doctor. You could understand why he was frustrated, after all he was being contained against his will. All he desired was to experiment on living human test subjects, something the that the foundation would never allow.

All you had to offer was your company and interest in his work. It was not much, but seemed to help.

SCP-049 studies you for a moment, clearly taken aback by your words.

"You are kind," the tall robed SCP finally murmurs, only to pause for a moment, as if hesitating to ask his next question. "May I ask who has the honour of claiming your hand?”

You can't help but smile like a complete fool once again as you tell the tall plague doctor about the man who'd soon take your hand in matrimony. However, the moment you say your fiancé's name, you can see all warmth drain away from SCP-049's grey eyes and be replaced by what you could only describe as contempt.

”Oh, _**him**_..." the black robed doctor whispered in an extremely venomous tone despite an attempt to hide it. You could swear the temperature dropped few degrees inside the observation room.

It really did look like the dislike your fiancé felt for the plague doctor was more than mutual.

"I've had the....questionable pleasure of meeting and talking with him,” he said somewhat spitefully. "As I recall it, he too denied my cure like so many others before him, accusing me of murder and butchery of Doctor Hamm. He was not worth the argument.”

The plague doctor's demeaning words and tone stung a bit, but you understood how strongly he felt about the Pestilence. Your soon to be husband had been a co-worker of the deceased doctor and had liked the man very much, and thus he could not help but despise the entity who had killed him.

Your fiancé had acted outright hostile with SCP-049, calling his cure evil and accusing him of murdering a completely healthy man.

The plague doctors sighed, gazing at you.

“There seems to be only one thing we have the same view on. How very unfortunate.”

”He admired Doctor Hamm's work ethics and...” you start to defend your love, but can never finish the sentence.

Without a warning, SCP-049 slams his hands down on the table that lied before him, the loud bang making you flinch in shock. Fear starts to take hold of your heart as his slightly narrowed eyes fixate on yours. The plague doctor was seething with rage, his fingers pressing against the metal surface. You are unable to avert your eyes and it feels like your whole body is paralysed.

”If he was a man of science he would have seen that what I did was an act of mercy. But no, he's as blind and incompetent as the rest of these so called "doctors" to understand that the Pestilence is the only ailment that matters in this world and that my cure is the only solution. He would have let doctor Hamm suffer fate worse than death!”

You can feel how your heart starts to race when the dangerous euclid class entity starts to get really hostile. His breathing was laboured and those grey eyes held nothing but contempt and...hatred. Even with the bullet proof glass between the two of you, you can't help but start to feel a bit afraid. It was truly terrifying how SCP-049 could go from calm and cordial to agitated and aggressive in matter of seconds.

“To think that someone who is so...so selfish as to let a good man to suffer in unspeakable agony would take the only worthwhile-” he growled, only to instantly go silent when he sees you take a step back and bring your hands to your chest, eyes reflecting the budding fear in your soul. Fear of him.

You were used to his outbursts when it came to the Great Pestilence, but somehow this seemed different, like he was not angry about your fiancé's inability to see the Pestilence, but about something entirely else.

The tall SCP takes a deep breath and looks away, clearly ashamed of his outbursts.

"I...Forgive me," the plague doctor whispered, his voice strained and almost trembling, as if he was having trouble getting his emotions in check. ”How very unprofessional of me to lose my temper like that in a matter such as this,” SCP-049 said quietly, sounding so very exhausted and even sad. He closed his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval. "Still, I fear I must voice my...dissatisfaction with your choice of mate. I had hoped for a more...capable and worthwhile partner in life for you, my assistant."

You quickly relax when the SCP calms down.

 _He is so blunt,_ you think and though you knew better than to give too much weight to an SCP's words, his opinion about your fiancé was a bit of a mood killer, even if you had a feeling he would have said the same thing about every single doctor and personnel.

“Nevertheless, I still wish you well and for your wedding ceremony to be satisfactory," SCP-049 finished and straightened his back. "I expect this not to affect our work arrangement. We are both professionals and men of science. I have much to share with you."

You manage a small and comforting smile. At times he felt so humane; like beneath that white chitinous mask was a man. But despite all that, his only interest was researching his cure.

"Rest assured, we will continue as we've have so far, unless the board decides otherwise."

You almost jump when your phone suddenly vibrates inside your coat's pocket. You had forgotten all about being still on the clock and quickly check the message. It seemed like one of the older doctors who refused to retire needed your immediate assistance with new analytics program.

"I'm sorry I really have to get going now. My work today seems to be never-ending," you joke and show the 049 your phone with a message. He eyes the phone all unimpressed.

"But of course, I did not mean to hold you, alas, I do wish your time was spent on more....worthwhile research," SCP-049 said and nodded his head courteously. "I will await our weekly session and share my findings with you, my assistant, once I have revised my notes of course. "

 _He really does think of me as his assistant._ It was both a scary and heart warming thought. Now that you thought about it, SCP-049 had started to refer to you as his assistant a lot more lately, even to the Foundation's doctors who seemed to be extremely amused by this; to the point they had started make a bit snarky and joking comments you had chosen to ignore.

"I think you are giving me too much credit, I could not hope to understand the Pestilence..."

”Nonsense, credit where credit is due,” the masked entity stated firmly. ”You persist despite your shortcomings in understanding the nature of the Pestilence, and that is more than can be said for any of the doctors or researchers," SCP-049 continued, his tone a tad patronizing now, after all he was talking to a mere assistant, who despite her many efforts could not understand. But, at least you tried.

"Perhaps one day, if the luck and fate would have it, though I fear that day may never come,” you reply. One could never understand how any of the SCPs truly functioned or had gained their extraordinary aspects. “But, until our next session,” you finally say and turn to leave the observation room, your legs still feeling like they were made from lead.

As you swipe your card through the reader and are about to step outside, you hear the 049 say.

"Oh, I am certain you along with all the others will understand the importance of my work and the necessity of my cure. You and I...we'll rid the world of the Pestilence, of that I have no doubt."

A loud sigh escapes your lips when the door finally closes behind you and for a moment you just lean against it, gathering your thoughts.

"A mate, huh?" you wonder out loud, mulling over all the things SCP-049 had told you. "What an odd word to use."

You could not help but feel a bit melancholic after every session with him. With each passing month the plague doctor grew more frustrated and irritated with his containment. A sentient SCP was rarely a happy SCP in containment, you had learnt that much from interacting with both 049 and 079. Much like the artificial intelligence, the plague doctor wanted nothing more than to leave his prison and continue developing his cure unhindered with living humans. It was something that could never be allowed to happen.

_The Pestilence..._

It really made you sad, the knowledge that it was only a matter of time before SCP-049 would claim you were afflicted with the great pestilence. From that point onward, his only goal would be to cure you, and as you had learned, his cure was not a cure at all. It would mean your death and potential reanimation. You'd share the same fate as Doctor Hamm.

The thought of the calm, polite and cordial entity becoming agitated and hostile whenever in your presence felt so bad. But, there was nothing you'd be able to do about it.

Your phone vibrates again and you check it to see another panicked message. You sigh and reply “ _ **Do not press anything, I am on my way**_.” before heading out towards the laboratory the computer illiterate doctor was in. Why couldn't your day be already over? All you wanted was to spend some quality time with your fiancé away from the gloomy facility.

Well, on the bright side, the two of you had two days off from work starting tomorrow.

It would be quality time with no SCPs, cures, pestilence or work allowed.

* * *

Silence fell over the containment room after you left. For a moment, the tall plague doctor just stood there by the window, his gaze fixated one the spot where you had just moments ago stood and talked so happily about your fiancé.

Finally the entity seemed to snap out of his thoughts, realizing that there was work to be done. He slowly turned around and made his way back to the operating table where the dead sheep lied, its body cut into a misshapen form that, with luck, would be purged of all pestilence and reanimated.

The tall masked doctor stared at the corpse on the table, his eyes cold and empty of any emotion. This...this was what his cure was worth to the Foundation.

He eventually reached out to pick up a blood stained scalpel that rested on a metal tray next to the corpse; bringing it to the animal's neck to start making a long and precise cut into the soft flesh.

However, only few centimetres in, his hand jerked, making the cut go askew and ruin the whole thing.

The doctor stopped, his tall body visibly trembling. He tried to still his hand that kept shaking despite him trying to get it under control. But, it seemed like he had finally reached the limit of his self control.

"…”

The calm look in SCP-049's eyes turned into one of pure hate and rage and he took a sharp breath before striking the scalpel deep into the dead animals' flesh. Blood spilled from the wound and onto his clothes and hands, but he barely noticed it. He yanked the blade out only to strike it down again, again, and again until his work was ruined, too butchered for even him to fix it.

The cold controlled rage and hate he felt towards your fiancé and marriage had coiled together inside his heart and mind into a maelstrom he could no longer contain.

Finally, after he had let all his rage out into the poor pestilence ridden animal, SCP-049 let the scalpel fall from his hand onto the floor before slumping down into the chair by the desk. He rested his elbows onto the table and buried his face into his blood soaked hands, staining his white mask in dark blood.

"For someone so blind and incompetent to nurture affection in her," he whispered, voice filled with despair.

He had devoted his whole life to the eradication of the Great Pestilence. The idea of marriage or even partnership with someone had never really even crossed his mind...until meeting you.

To think that after a life time of research, he finally comes across a potential partner to share his burden with, only to have her affection taken by someone who has the audacity to call himself a doctor. It was such a waste.

His feelings for you had developed slowly over each meeting and interview over a long time. You always worked so diligently, taking pride in helping the doctors and him in any way you could. And though you did not understand the cruelty of the Pestilence, you tried to. Such a kind soul who cared for the well being of others. Who knows, perhaps it was for the best that someone so kind could not truly fathom the horrors of the Pestilence, but still, losing you to someone else was so...very painful.

His gaze was drawn to the plethora of surgical tools that glinted eerily in the dim light, his mind instantly starting to conjure ideas and desires that went directly against his doctors' oath. 049 closed his eyes and shook his head, dismissing such unsavoury thoughts. He was above that.

He was bitter yes, but he also realized that he was partly at fault for this. He had been so consumed by his research that he had not noticed that amateur and blind so called doctor court his assistant, nay apprentice. He had felt such strong companionship with you, a bond formed from wish to help and cure the world...alas, it seemed like his feelings would go unanswered. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

But he was a professional and able to swallow and endure this horrible bitterness, even if it had become as vile of a poison as the Pestilence itself. Still, he'd willingly down that poison and suffer the agony of its bite as long as you were content, happy and safe from the pestilence...

even if he'd still wish you'd share your life time or two researching the cure with him.

“I..won't be in the way of your happiness.”

* * *

”I can't help but wonder how much redacted parts our marriage certificate will have,” your fiancé jokes as the two of you rest on the sofa inside your lovely home.

The two of you had lived together for almost a year now, in a lovely 2 storey Foundation provided house with a short commute to the containment facility the public thought to be some boring generic warehouse/ research centre.

It really was a lovely house with lot of wood, glass and open spaces. The morning light shone just perfectly into the kitchen that had a view to the garden...garden that the horrible frog statue your fiancé had bought now adorned. You had plotted its “accidental” destruction a couple of times, but had decided to let it live out of gratitude; after all, it had brought you two together.

”Well I'm sure they'll at least show our names, I think,” you joke a bit and give your fiancé a peck on the lips before turning your gaze back to the fireside and for few minutes the two of you just watch the mesmerizing dancing fire.

The days were getting colder with temperatures dropping each night close to minus degrees Celsius. The two of you had rare 2 days off from work and had planned to spend them just lazying around the house and perhaps heading to the nearby city for a nice dinner.

"You know, I love the way you smile all the time these days, even when that favourite doctor of yours kept lecturing you the other day," your fiancé teases you and you just grin at him. "I think he just got angrier when he realized how happy you were.."

While the doctors could be quite rude and at times tended to look down on assistants and other personnel like you, you understood better than well that they all shouldered a heavy burden and worked under constant stress. If you could help to shoulder any of that burden, you'd happily do it.

“I really need to dial down my joy and smiling while working. I think some of the doctors will soon start accusing me of being an agent of Chaos Insurgency just to get rid of me," you say with a small chuckle, though it was not really a thing one should joke about while working.

The rumour was that the Chaos Insurgency had its eyes on the research facility the two of you were working in, desiring to obtain few high interest SCPs, but it was nothing an assistant like you had to worry about. The worst case scenario was only a complete containment breach...

”Say, if you had to bring one SCP to the wedding and the reception, which one would it be?” you inquire curiously.

“Oh definitely SCP-294; for you free drinks you know?” your fiancé replies and pulls you closer to him. “Should we ask if we could bring it to the reception?”

You give a hearty laugh.

“I think that request would be denied before the paper even hits the director's desk.”

“True, besides, knowing some of our co-workers, one of them would just write acid or worse...you know some can be bit...incompetent at times. How about you?”

 _Incompetent_. Hearing that word made you think of SCP-049 and how he had called your fiancé just that.

"Me? I guess SCP-049...” you said without thinking, giving an honest answer.

Your fiancé's expression turns baffled and he blinks a couple of times in confusion.  
”049? Wait wait...Isn't that,” he mutters, certain that he was getting the numbers mixed up or something, for there was no way you'd want to have that thing participate. But, unfortunately he had heard you quite right. He paused only to say in utter disbelief . “You can't possibly mean the plague doctor.”

”Yes, I guess it is kinda odd,” you reply.

“But that thing killed Doctor Hamm!”

”I know, I know. I just- He is someone I'd like to see it, that's all.”

You could feel your love tense up.

”He?” he inquired and lifted his brow a bit.

”It.” you quickly correct yourself. "I meant “it”." You knew the Foundation was very strict about not referring to SCPs with gender pronouns. Humanizing the sentient ones too much could prove problematic and could cause a researcher to slip.

“Why on earth would you want that thing to see it?”

“I really don't know. SCP-049 congratulated us on our marriage and wished the ceremony to go well. I just thought it'd be interesting to it.”

You decided to leave out the small detail of just how badly the plague doctor had reacted to hearing who you were getting married to.

“You talked with it about our marriage?” your fiancé asks in dismay.  
“It came up in a conversation, but as usual the topic quickly switched back to pestilence,” you explain.

 _Though...he was quite interest_ ed, you ponder, unable to forget the way the plague doctor had stared at you as you had told him about your engagement. Now that you thought about it...you were sure that there had been pain and sadness to his eyes.

Your fiancé was silent for a moment, staring into the crackling fire. His mood had darkened somewhat.

”I don't like the way that thing looks at you.”

That took you completely off-guard and you look at him questioningly.  
”What on earth do you mean?” you ask, baffled by his comment.

"The way its gaze lingers on you when you are not aware. For some reason to me it looks like...like it wants to _touch_ you or something." You both knew what that would mean; instant death. "I have this gnawing feeling that it is hiding something, that it wants something from you. Every time I see you interview it I just can't help but fear that one day it won't let you leave that containment room. I just can't bear the thought that you might be turned into one of those things.”

His words make you wonder if you had missed something in the plague doctor's behaviour, but you quickly push such worries from your mind. You were pretty sure that he just saw you as an assistant to his work, nothing more. Your fiancé was probably just stressed and overworked. These two days off from work were clearly needed.

”Well if it does, I won't be working with SCP-049 any more,” you reply with a playful smirk on your lips, trying to lighten up the mood. "Really now, you are almost making it sound like SCP-049 is interested in me."

What an absurd thought.

”You are taking this too lightly!” you fiancé says, confused by your playfulness.

You give him a bit challenging and amused look.

”Are we seriously having an argument about SCP-049? Just because I though it'd be amusing to see him in a wedding?” you inquire.

The man next to you quickly realizes how foolish he had been. He had gotten so upset about your playful answer to his question. He cracks a small smile and shakes his head, feeling so very childish.

There was nothing that could ruin your life together. SCP-049 was only one of the numerous entities in containment, and not even the most dangerous. There were beings much more deadly than it. Hell, the coffee vending machine had killed more D-class personnel than the plague doctor.

”Can you imagine it holding a check-up post in front of the chapel? Doing health checks to every guest before entering?” you laughed, holding up your hand. "Oh my, it seems like you are afflicted by the pestilence...and you....and you...." you try to imitate the plague doctor's calm and elegant voice (even if you failed miserably) while repeatedly touching your love's face.

Your fiancé chuckles as he gently takes hold of your hand to kiss your fingers.

“I think by the end even the cake would be diagnosed to have the pestilence! I fear it would end up being the only guest.”

“Oh we'd definitely have two guests. It on my side and the coffee vending machine on yours,” you muse out loud.

“I do dare to say that my side is better because a vending machine can't object by yelling “pestilence!”  
“Heh, sometimes I feel like you are ready to marry the vending machine?”  
“Oh, excuse me?” He replies with narrowed eyes and flirtatious grin.

“Oh yes, the way you described it to your new co-worker the other day. To me it sounded like true love. Maybe I should give my dress to the coffee machine? You two would look so cute and-” you were unable to finish your sentence, starting to giggle and scream playfully when your fiancé throws a big fluffy pillow at you, but you just grab it and hold it as if it was someone you were deeply in love with.

“Oh SCP-294, you are the only one who understands me. Please marry me,” you lower your voice to mimic your fiancé.

“You little...” you fiancé laughs and grabs another pillow.

Your laughter fills the room as a full pillow war commences.


	2. scp-035

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter chapter for a change.

A week had passed since the fierce pillow fight that had escalated into a full blown war, one that had ended in your victory. Fortunately peace contract had been signed by the time the two of you had found your way into the bedroom, your opposition completely crushed by your fierce and cunning tactics. War reparations had to be paid in kisses and as breakfast carried to bed for the days you had taken off from work.

The two of you had spent the precious free time planning the wedding and signing the Foundation labelled invitations you two had delivered in person to your closest of co-workers. At this point you two felt like this was some sort of a themed wedding force upon you, but with your employee taking care of the costs, neither of you really complained.

The wedding was to be held inside the facility on set hours in the evening when the facility was running on skeleton crew with no outside personnel or people allowed under any circumstances. It was truly a shame that you could not invite your families or close friends outside the Foundation, but it could not be helped. As much as it vexed you and your fiancé, you understood the need for secrecy. Besides, both of your families were thousands of kilometres away.

No doubt you two would throw a vow renewal party after your contract with the Foundation came to and end. It would be most lavish part with both of your families and friends invited.

“What? Where on earth is it?” you mutter underneath your breath as you rummage through your bag, almost flipping it upside down and shaking it when you can't find what you are looking for. "It should be here."

“Have you lost something? Did we have on more invitation to give?” your fiancé inquires curiously and takes a sip from his steaming hot coffee cup.

The two of you had spent the lunch hour together with some of your colleagues that were going to attend the wedding and were now heading towards your respective assignments. However when your fiancé had mentioned a meeting he was going to attend, you had the horrible premonition that you had forgotten some really important files and had stopped to check your bag. Well your hunch had proven to be right because you could not find the files anywhere.

  
“The notes the doctors had gathered on some of the safe class SCPs containment procedures! I was in charge of compiling them together into a presentation," you explain to your fiancé as you try to search your other files in case you had misplaced the papers. No such luck. "My interview session with SCP-035 is in 5 minutes and right after that the doctors gather for a meeting to discuss the changes. I don't have time to get the file between the meetings and you know how punctual your doctor colleagues are," you mutter, unable not to look vexed.

You already felt extremely nervous about your first time interview with a Keter class SCP and losing the notes did not help one bit. Right now you were not sure which worried you more, SCP-035 or the group of doctors.

It was hardly the world's end, but you hated to give those asshole doctors any more ammunition against you. "They are going to flay me alive..." you sigh and rub the spot between your eyes.

Thankfully your love came to rescue.

“I got some time to spare, I can get the notes and deliver them to the conference room," your fiancé quickly offered his help. He knew how the older and more jaded doctors could be. They had been on the front lines of containing all sort of entities from safe to keter, having lost plenty of colleagues over the years to creatures worse than 035 and 049. Your pure compassion towards the SCPs just rubbed them the wrong way...him too at times though he'd never tell it to you. Especially when it came to that damned plague doctor. "Where did you leave them?"

You close your eyes and try to recall where you could have forgotten them, only to feel slightly nervous when you do. Your fiancé was not going to like this one bit.

“I..uh...I am sure I left the folder on the desk inside the observation room adjacent to SCP-049's containment cell.” As expected, your love's expression turns into a sour scowl when he realizes he'd have to go near the plague doctor.

"Please? I'll cook and do the dishes for the next few days," you try to barter.

After few more seconds of consideration your love lets out a sigh of utter defeat and nods with a warm smile on his face. He was not going to let a bit of inconvenience keep him from helping you.

“Alright, you head to interview SCP-035 and I'll...fetch the research notes. You better not come home wearing that mask,” he says and leans in to give you a quick kiss that makes you giggle.

“ Thank you, you are a life saver! And it is not like you have to acknowledge it. He will probably be so focused in his work to even notice you.”

 _If anything, 049 will probably just ignore him._ Though you could not help but worry somewhat. _The doctor did express his dislike towards him.'_

"Heh, it is not every day I get to have a doctor be my assistant." you whisper into your love's ear. He had just saved you from being chewed out by the senior doctor who was the pain of your existence. It was a deed worth of greatest recognition.

“Well, maybe we should switch positions sometime at home?” your fiancé asks and you two share a tender kiss, ignoring the few glances other employees give you two.

* * *

The warm fuzzy feeling inside your and the happy smile on your face gradually faded away the closer you got to SCP-035's containment. The knowledge what awaited you inside the containment unit made your heart race and a chill run down your spine.

 _I am really going to interview a keter class SCP,_ you think, the mere thought feeling absurd.

To everyone's shock the mask's right to host bodies had been reinstated a short while back, though only after months of contemplation. But perhaps the most shocking thing to you and your fiancé was how you had been assigned to interview the possessive mask, you , a mere assistant interviewing a keter class SCP that could drive a well disciplined doctor into a murder suicide.

 _I don't think I am ready for this._ Your palms were getting sweaty from stress and hint of anxiety.

Sure you had interviewed SCP-079 and SCP-049 numerous times and had even formed a bit of a bond with the plague doctor, but 035 was a keter class entity, more dangerous than any of the SCPs you had worked with so far. The fact it was mind altering was perhaps the most worrying aspect...and the way it possessed people, making the host brain dead.

Needless to say your fiancé had been worried sick when he had heard that you had been assigned an interview slot with 035, and you could not really blame him. You had experience quite a vast spectrum of emotions from excited, honoured to nervous and outright terrified. He had even gone to the point of him wondering whether he should butt in or not, saying "I swear if one of those doctors assigned this to you out of malice, I'll push them into same containment with SCP-173!" You had found both claims hard to believe. No doctor or worker would be as petty as to do that (you hoped) and your fiancé would never do that to his fellow man.

The only reason you could come up with was your experience with sentient SCPs. Who knows, maybe someone was interested to see how you'd perform with this assignment? The Foundation could be...tricky at times.

You were afraid, anxious and nervous, but if the doctors wanted you to talk with the malicious and sadistic mask, that was exactly what you were going to do. Few assistants had a chance like this and the experience was something you really wanted, no matter how terrifying the SCP in question was.

You had read all the addendums in the mask's profile many, many times and were well aware of the damage the it could do. Choosing conversation subjects was one of the most crucial things when dealing with SCP-035 and you were nearly panicking because you could not decide what about you should talk with it. There were simply too many possibilities!

You finally arrive at the door and swipe your security card through the reader and punch in the long code to grant access into the interview room. It was similarly built as SCP-049's containment with the two rooms separated with a glass window.

You step inside the to see two guards standing on the each side of the door. They were there to make sure you would not do anything stupid because of the sadistic and highly manipulative SCP.

The sense of unease overwhelms you when you see the SCP on the other side of the glass. The mask was on a mannequin that was sitting at a desk facing the window. The white plastic of the body was already decaying at alarming rate with the black liquid continuously secreting from the mask's eyes and mouth rotting everything it touched.

SCP-035 tilts its head to the side in curious manner when it sees you enter the room.

"My my, I did not expect you of all people to interview me! How very interesting," SCP-035 said all pleasantly, as if it was truly pleased to finally meet you.

 _Wait what...why does SCP-035 know of me?_ You wonder and hesitate for a moment before finally sitting down into the interviewer's chair and placing your trusty notebook onto the table.

 _Has 049 mentioned me_? _Or some other doctor?_ you ponder.

The two SCPs had interacted numerous times due to various circumstances and some even rumored they were...friends of sort. Who knows, maybe the two of them had run into each other before being contained in this facility, after all both were ancient beings and well-traveled . Their brief discussions had been documented and no doubt the said documents had nothing but redacted segments. With your security level you did not even bother to daydream of the possibility of getting to read them.

"Hello SCP-035, I am assistant..." you start to introduce yourself properly like any doctor would, but the mask SCP cuts you off before you can even say your name.

"Oh I am well aware who you are. In fact, I've heard quite a lot about you, so there is no need for us to be so bound to protocol ," the entity explained happily. "Or for you to be so nervous." it added pleasantly, having clearly noticed how tense you were, how your voice trembled a bit when you spoke.

"Y-yes, well to be completely honest I don't feel like I am quite ready to interview you," you manage to say, making the mask chuckle.

"I can't blame you, from what I've heard there is quite a lot on your mind these days. Interviewing little old me must be the last thing on your mind!"

"There is?" you ask, watching mesmerized how the black liquid keeps oozing from the mask's eyes.

"Why your upcoming marriage of course! Congratulations by the way. While I've been to countless ceremonies in my lifetime, I can never quite get enough of them...they are always a riot. So many people and so many possibilities."

"I...thank you," you manage to reply, not liking the fact you had been taken completely off guard by the SCP who was so pleasant, lavishing you in compliments and trying to get you to relax. You lower your gaze to your engagement ring and fiddle with it.

Had the mask picked the information up telepathically from some guards or researchers perhaps?

"What do you think of it? My marriage?" you blurt you without even thinking, realizing what you had asked only when the words had already left your lips.

 _What is wrong with you? The first question you ask is what he thinks of your marriage? What happened to the "extreme caution when choosing a subject"_ You scolded yourself, feeling so stupid. If this indeed was a test of some sort, you no doubt had failed it miserably by now. But....the SCP had brought the subject up himself. You realized that it had directed the conversation from the very beginning.

When you lift your gaze up, you see that the mask's expression had changed into tragedy.

"I care little for your fiancé," it said woefully.

 _How am I not surprised?_ You wonder, recalling how SCP-049 had said pretty much the same thing about your love. Why, maybe you should go and get SCP-079's opinion as well? No doubt the simple AI had deleted all information about your fiancé. Every time he tried to interview it, the AI just locked itself up, deleting all files of the interview.

Your love was a brilliant doctor and researcher, but he was not good with sentient SCPs. He worked so hard to learn about the entities held inside the facility, but his methods were sometimes rather invasive and his questions rude. 035, 049 and 079 all had showed great dislike towards him...no doubt the rest of the sentient ones did as well. He could be so very tactless at times.

"That said, I would not mind having him as my host on your wedding day, or your body, I've yet to wear a wedding dress," SCP-035 added with a laugh and the mask's expression turned into comedy before your eyes and your brain could not quite comprehend it. The transformation was simply instantaneous. "But...I'll refrain from doing so. I'd rather not step on the good doctor's toes here. I don't think he'd like having me stealing his bride."

"How very considerate of you. Thank you, my fiancé will appreciate it," you say as your lips curl into a gentle smile, thinking that it was talking about your beloved.

The mask laughed a bit.

"Yes, him too," it said, pausing for a moment to just stare at you before leaning slightly closer, resting its hands underneath its chin. "I can see why he likes you, you are so compassionate, well mannered and....naive. "

You hesitate, not quite sure what to think of the masks' words.

"Guess I made an impression on my fiancé. We love each other very much. I'm so glad I am able to make him happy. "

"My my, you really have no idea do you?" 035 asked genuinely curiously, cocking its head to the side, the black liquid dripping onto the desk and the mannequin's hands. "Of course you do not. You are practically radiating with joy. I have seen that state so many times. You so very blissfully ignorant to the world around you, too blinded by your own radiance to see the plain truth presented before your very eyes..."

You were starting to feel really unnerved by the mask SCP but manage to maintain the gentle smile.

_What is it implying?_

The feeling of unease was becoming palpable, but you push it aside, not letting dread have any hold over you.

“I guess my mind has been miles away for the past weeks. I just...I wish everyone could be as happy as my fiancé and I, Foundation personnel and SCP alike,” you say and turn the golden band around your finger.

Looking at it made you feel so warm inside, even when in presence of a keter class being.

_I wonder what it would take to create an SCP out of an engagement ring?_

The mask was silent for moment and just stared at you, seeing that your thoughts were with your beloved fiancé and soon to be husband.

"Let me ask you something," SCP-035 said, its voice now suddenly calm, quiet and mirthless despite the joyous expression.

"Of course,” you reply, lifting your gaze again from the golden ring to look at SCP-035 with a warm and happy look to your eyes.

_**"Just how stupid and blind can you be?"** _

The sudden change in SCP-035 tone and words took you completely by surprise. The charming tone he had used so far was long gone and replaced by a cruel, mocking and cold one.

"Who do you think that compassion of yours benefits? It is worth nothing to me or anyone in this place. It is an annoyance and nothing more,” the mask stated. “Your good intentions are just that, intentions and will always remain as such. There is nothing you can do that'd benefit me."

You can feel how the barbwire of anxiety quickly coils itself around your chest and heart. It starts to slowly tighten, the barbs digging painfully into your racing hear.

"I..." you start, taking a deep breath to try and calm down and find the right words to say. The mask's demeanour had changed so quickly from friendly to malicious. "I'm sorry I did not mean to offend you.." you manage to say.

035 quickly switched back to a cheerful and friendly tone, but there was underlying venom to its every word. 

"Please, you could never offend me!” 035 told you. ”Because for me to be offended by you would require of me to respect you or your opinions in the first place. You don't have to worry your pretty little head about it, for it will never happen."

You can hear the whispering laughter inside your head and you try to desperately block it out with little success.

SCP-035 just stares at you as its mannequin body continues to decay before your eyes. One of the arms fell off but 035 did not seem to mind it in the slightest. It was clearly enjoying your discomfort, wanting to see you squirm. You felt paralysed, having given control in the discussion to the mask, though you had a feeling you hadn't had it to begin with.

"Our mutual friend spoke so highly of you to me, how you've so diligently helped him, trying to understand that horrible disease he seeks to cure. But I have my doubts about you.," 035 started and all you are able to do is listen. The possessive mask knew the workings of human psyche better than anyone and could probably read you like an open book. 

"You just amuse him by playing along as his little assistant and apprentice, don't you? Hoping that he'd feel more content as long as he has someone he can talk to about the Pestilence and his cure? Both in which none of you believe in, not even you."

 _No, that is not true! I am not like that_ , you think, but can't summon enough willpower to defend yourself. So you just sit there, listening to the mask's words with your eyes reflecting the pain and dread you were feeling.

"Do you honestly think that a kind word here and compassionate gesture there would make his containment, or mine, any more tolerable? Personally I think you just enjoy playing the role of a little saint who can't do anything wrong. Even the other doctors dislike you for it."

"I am not playing along. I honestly wish to understand the pestilence even if I fail to do so! And...and I know there is not much I can do as an assistant but I try," you finally say, only to have the mask cackle at you, its laughter echoing eerily from the containment unit's walls.

"Really now? Why, you are even more idiotic than I thought if you really think that," the possessive mask chuckled maliciously. "What do you think the he will do when he sees that all you have is good intentions and no really wish or intent to act? What if someone close to you...lets say your fiancé for example gets afflicted?"

Your eyes widen slightly in fear and your heart skips a beat when the mask mentions your love.

"Why are you saying this?" you ask in distress, but take moment to ponder on SCP-035 words, only to find that you did not have an answer that you'd be happy with. "I don't know...I guess that would result in the end of our work arrangement."

The eerie laughter in your mind grows so loud that you have to close your eyes and hold your head. All the while the mask keeps staring at you, endlessly oozing that black liquid that decayed everything it touched. If the 035 could show more than two expressions, it would have a truly sadistic grin on its face right now **.** Seeing you in distress was so amusing to it.

"And you think he'd allow that to happen? What a fool you are..." the mask laughed at you, making you flinch a bit. It shook its head. “I don't think the good doctor can just let you go, not any more.”

_What is that supposed to mean?_

“Oh he will be so disappointed and angry to find out that his most beloved assistant turned out to be just like everyone else in this facility, selfish and short-sighted. If he offered to cure your fiancé of the great affliction, a fate worse than death, would you allow it? No, you would not, because you don't believe in any of it, never have. You'll happily ignore all of his warnings and get married to a man afflicted with Great Pestilence despite all his efforts to educate you in its terrifying nature. Why, I think you are the cruelest person in this whole facility. Not only do you betray and hurt our friend, but you also let your fiancé suffer the agony of the disease.”

“What should I do?” you ask in trembling voice from SCP-035 who seemed truly pleased to hear you ask for its advice. Fear had taken hold of your mind and should the mask want to, he could do much more damage to you.

“I did consider offering words of advice to you, but I think you are too deep to save yourself any more. So, I rather just watch and enjoy the show of you slowly falling into the despair of your own design. As I see it, the "till death do us part" might come sooner than you expect, for your husband is not the only doctor in love with you.”

 _I want to end this interview now_ , is all you can think as you listen to the possessive mask's words. _Please._

“And the other one, well...he has a rather obsessive nature. ”

The mannequin leans closer, black liquid dripping down onto the table that is slowly turning black and falling apart. You can't tear your gaze from that horrible smile on its face.

“I am not the only possessive SCP in this facility.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote the interview with 035 like 3 times, switching from 079 to 035, only to switch again and I still don't like it :D Also during writing this I realized just how big of a hypocrite reader is.
> 
> Now I kinda want to write some SCP-035 x Reader. But that story would only end up being really cruel. My knowledge of SCP-035 is limited to the profile and TheVolgun's read of it.


	3. Afflicted

“Just get in, get the folder and then march right out, you don't even have to acknowledge that thing," your fiancé muttered underneath his breath as he made his way towards 049's containment.

His steps had turned into almost angry stomping without him even realizing it. The closer he got to the containment unit, the sourer and more vexed his expression became until the look on his face was so gloomy and angry that few of the assistants looked a bit scared to walk past him, expecting to be scolded for nothing, but he failed to even notice them, for he was too deep and lost in the maze of his own thoughts.

If there was one SCP he absolutely despised, it was the damned SCP-049 for certain. Every time his mind wandered to the tall plague doctor dressed in black robes he only ended up feeling so infuriated and angry that he was certain his blood was about to reach the boiling point. And he did not even want to think about his blood pressure. No doubt the doctors would suggest a short sick leave, but the last thing he wanted was to not work.

The way it moved, talked and acted made him feel extremely uneasy,...even aggressive towards it. In fact, _**everything**_ about SCP-049 felt repulsive to him, especially the way it behaved when in your presence.

There was just something so uncanny and unnatural about the plague doctor that whenever he was in its presence, anxiety took a firm grip of his heart with its sharp claws, sinking its razor sharp talons only more painfully into his psyche when you were close to the plague doctor.

He had no trouble whatsoever with inanimate or animal like SCPs with limited or non existent awareness. They could not help their often times destructive or otherwise harmful nature. For example SCP-173 he had no issues with. It merely acted according to its design, snapping its victim's necks without real "intent." And if it did have a malicious will and intelligence inside it, it certainly was not able to voice it in any manner.

No, it was the unmistakenly sentient ones like SCP-049 and SCP-079 he had some serious issues with, issues that had only grown more dire after Dr. Hamm's death. SCP-049 was highly intelligent being, yet it was unable or refused to see anything wrong with its actions.

 _If everyone tells it that what it did was wrong and that no one wants its faulty and deadly cure, one would think it'd understand or at least decide to question its logic! But no, everyone else working in the facility is at err, sick and suffering from the agony of the disease they can not understand,_ your fiancé thought angrily, gritting his teeth slightly and trying not to spill his steaming hot coffee cup, or crush it in his hand.

_Why does she have to work with the plague doctor so closely?_

He still felt so incredibly bitter about Dr. Hamm's death...no, _**murder**_ in 049's hands. The older doctor had been the one to recruit him, to teach him and act as sort of a mentor. It had been a hard and very painful blow to his psyche when he had seen what a monstrosity the plague doctor had turned Dr. Hamm into. He had been barely recognizable. As horrifying and agonizing as the loss was, it had also been an eye opening experience.

It had showed him first hand that sentient SCPs were one of the most dangerous entities that existed out there. Most were highly unpredictable and manipulative. They all had to be contained, and if necessary, destroyed.

His mentor's unjust and wasted death was something he could not let go of, even though it had already been a year. It was a deep wound...with your involvement and co-operation with the plague doctor only making the wound remain open and fester. His constant fear and worry for your safety was poison to his mind and soul, and though he tried not to show his dislike "too much", he absolutely loathed the plague doctor for what it was, had done and would do given a chance...and for its disturbing intrigue towards you.

He scoffed a bit, knowing how stupid and fruitless it was to carry a personal vendetta against an SCP, but he just could not help it.

The plague doctor was most likely just as bound by its extraordinary nature as any inanimate object. As the notes had said, SCP-049 had genuinely wanted to help his mentor, no matter how unwanted its cure or crude its methods had been. That knowledge was a cold comfort. He almost wished the doctor had killed his mentor in cold blood.

Perhaps there was more leeway due to its intelligence, but at the end of the day, SCP-049 was just as bound by its nature as any other SCP. It had probably been curing perfectly healthy people for hundreds of years without any rhyme or reason to its work. How it had not perfected the cure during that time was another question.

 _It probably is just a really awful doctor,_ your fiancé chuckled to himself. Although the more likely option was that it could never be perfected, with the creature merely repeating endless cycle.

Thinking of any SCP long enough made his head hurt, and trying to wrap his head around a sentient one made it nearly explode. There were just too many questions he'd never have answer to and it only made him want to dig in deeper into these anomalies.

He truly had no idea how you could interact with the SCP-049 and SCP-079 so effortlessly when they all just ignored his questions, having no desire whatsoever to answer his plethora of inquiries about their extraordinary nature.

You really did not seem to have any interest in their cognition, telling him that "I am just an assistant here. It is your doctor's and researchers' job to figure that stuff out. I am here to make sure you all don't experience a complete mental breakdown due to overwhelming amount of work."

 _Gods I hope she is alright and safe...I should have stepped in and not let her interview that possessive mask. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her_ , your fiancé thought, feeling the momentary panic overwhelm his mind when he pictured you sitting at the interview room talking with the highly manipulative and sadistic mask.

_Sometimes she is just too kind for her own good._

The fact that SCP-049 and SCP-035 were well aware of each other made his heart start to race. Knowing what the mask could do with mere words... there was no telling what might happen or what effect it might have on you, especially if the plague doctor was brought up in your conversation.

He knew it was extremely selfish and even childish, but a part of him really wished you'd share his dislike for the plague doctor after everything that had happened. Seeing you willingly interact with the dangerous sentient SCP and show interest in its useless and disgusting cure _**hurt**_ him.

He could not stop thinking about the fact that you had talked about your marriage with the sentient SCP...and now he could not stop thinking the possible consequences it.

Whenever he saw you talking to SCP-049 through the window he just wanted to pull you away from its close vicinity just to ensure nothing bad would happen to you. He had this horrible gnawing feeling that the tall plague doctor would pull you deeper into its sick and twisted world if you let it...refusing to let you go once it had you in its grasp. It kept eating at his mind, even if he tried not to show it too much, or voice it. Working for the Foundation was stressful enough for the both of you; he did not want to burden you with his worries.

_I don't know what I'd do if I lose her._

During his time with the Foundation he had realized just how insignificant humans were on the planet they were supposed to rule; that there existed creatures and objects hidden from the public that could threaten humanity as a whole if not for the SCP Foundation's actions. You were the most precious, beautiful, kind and innocent thing he had found in this dark and dangerous place, and he'd do everything in his power to protect you, yet...alas, could not help but feel somewhat powerless to do so.

_I'm going to fight for what little control and protection I can in this place top make sure she'll remain safe._

As he neared the containment unit, he could not help but recall the time he had realized just how strong the plague doctor's fascination and...infatuation was for you. Before that day it had been merely glances, curious looks and approving nods, but that time it had been different.

It was something he'd never forget. It had been the day his fears had actualized, making him truly terrified for your safety.

_"Yes, I think it would be best if we..."_

_Your fiancé had completely zoned out the other researchers and doctors in the small group around him. He had not followed the conversation for the past few minutes now for his attention and gaze was solely focused on your form that stood by the window opening into the plague doctor's containment cell . Your back was pressed against the cool glass and it seemed like you too were unaware of the world around you._

_He smiled, watching how you eyed the note book in your hand with a small cute frown on your face, one you had whenever you were furiously trying to solve some conundrum with the solution almost in your grasp yet continuing to elude you. You crossed out few lines in your notebook and wrote something underneath them, only to cross that out as well._

_As he gazed at you, he could not help but feel happy and comforted. The box with a golden ring inside it felt so incredibly heavy inside his doctor's coat. He had been waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question but so far it had not presented itself. It had to be some romantic date night, or perhaps a night out with your coworkers. In either case it had to be perfect. He was not afraid of any SCP, but the possibility of you saying no to his question made his palms sweat and heart start to race._

_However, his smile quickly faded when he saw the plague doctor watching you as well, unaware that there was a pair of eyes observing it. His heart started to race even faster when the SCP started to silently take steps towards you, leaving his work forgotten._

_He had **never** seen the SCP get distracted by anything while working. _

_Soon it was standing directly behind you with only the bullet proof glass between you and it. You were too focused on your notes to notice the shadow that had been cast over you._

_He wanted to yell, to call out to you but for some reason, all he could do was watch how the plague doctor lifted its hand and pressed it against the cool glass directly where your head was, only to trail two fingers slowly down along your neck and spine all the way to your lower back._

_There were very few things he was absolutely certain about in this world, but one of them was definitely the fact he saw longing and desire in those cold grey eyes, like it wished there was no barrier between it and you._

_'This is wrong,' your fiancé thought, feeling the cold dread touch him. To know that the SCP that had killed his mentor had feelings for you was terrifying._

_The fact that the doctor's infatuation with you was strong enough to distract it from its work was extremely worrying. Knowing how it obsessed over things...nothing good would come out of this._

_The plague doctor then sensed that someone was looking at it, shifting its gaze to meet your fiancé's. Those grey eyes were now empty of any warmth they had held seconds ago. It looked at them like they were worth nothing._

_'What ever that thing wants from her, I am not letting it have it.'_

Your fiancé snapped back to the reality only when he found himself standing directly in front of the containment unit's door. The tall man took a sharp breath as he ran his card through the reader and the door unlocked with a soft "beep".

He stepped swiftly inside and looked through the window into the containment unit to see the black robed SCP focused on his work as usual.

It was sewing a guard dog together, hands moving with precision and elegance only a surgeon with centuries of experience could have. And though the big rottweiler had been dead for days now, it showed only slight signs of decomposition.

The reek of chemicals was thick and nauseating, even with the heavy window and door between the two rooms. He felt slightly ill. The sickly sweet scent of death and rot he had learned to endure over the years, but the reek of these liquids made him feel sick. God only knew what concoctions the plague doctor was pumping into the poor dead dog. All results from the tests they had run on the chemicals had been inconclusive.

 _Why she continues to amuse that damn monster is beyond my understanding_ , he scoffed in his mind.

You were too compassionate towards the SCPs, but then again your kindness had been one thing that he loved about you. He just feared that you'd end up getting hurt because of it. People became jaded so quickly in this place and he feared that would happen to you as well. A little bit of compassion was what this facility really needed...if only you did not extend it to the SCPs as well.

Nothing good could come from the plague doctor having any sort of affection or fascination towards you. But he'd not intervene and potentially hurt your career.

Still, he'd be a happy man if you'd never get close to the plague doctor again and if he'd never have to see it. These days the mere thought of you being close to it made him want to just move into another facility altogether with you.

If he was completely honest with himself, he knew that even that would probably not get him rid of the plague doctor, for it followed him into his home even after clocking out. He dreamed of work often, but lately all his dreams had involved SCP-049 and you. These recurring dreams...nightmares had started shortly after he had seen the longing in the SCP's eyes.

It was always the same nightmare with some minor details changing, but it always ended up almost the same way and with him waking up with a jolt, panicking and afraid in his own home, and that was a feeling he absolutely despised.

In the dream he'd find himself walking through a fog covered nameless cemetery, with the quiet bell tolling mournfully in the distance, barely noticeable. The headstones around him were ancient with time having eroded away all the writing. Moss had claimed the once pristine stones and on top of them rested large black ravens cawing, as if mocking him.

He'd wander aimlessly, dressed in his finest black suit...as if ready for a funeral, but whose?

Eventually a mass grave would emerge from the fog, with him almost falling into it. In the grave were animals and D-Class personnel piled on one another...and on the top of them lied Doctor Hamm's corpse. In the mass grave rested all the forgotten victims of SCP-049, their forms dissected and twisted into monstrosities.

At that moment, fear would overwhelm him, for he knew it was a grave also meant for him. He'd turn around in attempt to flee, only to see you among the gravestones, waiting for someone with a content, if a bit somber smile on your lips. You were dressed in black with veil over your face.

The fear was pushed aside by sense of utter hopelessness when SCP-049 appeared behind you, emerging from the dense fog that felt like the embodiment of sickness and death itself...of pestilence. He'd try to warn you, tell you to run but no sound would come out. Hell, he could not even move.

All he was able to do in the dream was watch in terror and disgust how SCP-049 would take hold of your hand and bring it to the beak of its white mask, as if to kiss it, before starting to lead you towards the dense fog, clearly wanting to take you with it.

He wanted to run after you, to tear your spellbound form away from that monstrosity and save you from it. He just knew that if you followed it into the silvery fog, you'd find a fate worse than death. Your life and existence would be bound to SCP-049.

But then he'd finally snap out of his paralysed state, but upon trying to take a step forward, he'd feel something cold and hard grip around his ankle.

He'd look down to see one of the corpses in the mass grave climbing up from it to drag him down there where he belonged; among the doctor's countless victims, nay, patients. All the undead looked up at him with pleading eyes, wanting to be helped.

He always woke up covered in cold sweat the moment he had been dragged into the grave by his former, now undead mentor, with his rotten and half skeletal hands finding his throat and tearing it wide open as you and the plague doctor disappeared into the silvery fog.

The last thing he always recalled before waking up was the sensation of warm blood gushing out of his wound and a gurgling sound escaping his lips as he tried to call your name in desperation.

Recalling the dream made him shudder.

Those nightmares felt so real and though it was a recurring dream, he always woke up covered in cold sweat with his heart hammering agonizingly hard and fast against his chest. Even after back in the waking world, he could feel the cold hard fingers digging into his throat to tear it open, smell the decay and the mouldy soil and hear an eerie chuckle in the depths of his mind, the voice belonging to the plague doctor.

Oh how your fiancé hated how he could not get rid of SCP-049 even when in the sanctity of his own home. He had not talked about this recurring dream with you, after all it was just a silly dream born from the stress from work and his fear for your safety.

He admitted that the work had made him into bit of a control freak at times (a need he filled by reigning over his garden like a tyrant), but even he knew he held no dominion over his own dreams. Besides, he was hardly the only one with strange dreams. It felt like almost all of his co-workers constantly saw nightmares and he certainly did not believe in premonition dreams.

As he gazed at the plague doctor that worked inside its containment unit he could not help but feel his stomach turn a bit when the dead dog twitched on the table.

 _Repulsive_ , _better just get this over with and leave_ , your fiancé thought before starting his search for the papers.

SCP-049 was so focused on its work that he had not heard the door open, nor taken notice of the doctor to whom his beloved assistant would soon be wed to. The large canine on the table had the doctor's undivided attention.

"Aha, there you are...tried to elude me, did you?” your fiancé mused out loud when he finally found the thick research file you had left behind. He picked the file up and opened it to skim through its content. As usual you had done diligent job, documenting and presenting his colleagues' research in great detail.

It was only when the man spoke did SCP-049 take notice of his uninvited guest.

His hand stopped in mid sew when he heard the voice of the incompetent man who was soon going to marry his most beloved, kind and talented assistant. The plague doctor stood still for a fleeting moment before finally placing the needle and thread onto the metal table, turning his attention to the man who had his back turned against the window.

SCP-049's eyes narrowed slightly behind that white mask as he cocked his head to the side a bit, wondering the reason for this sudden visit.

The tall entity dressed in black robes started to make his way silently towards the bullet proof glass that separated the two rooms as your love read through your notes. For an SCP with such height and frame, the plague doctor's steps were almost completely silent. Soon he was standing directly behind your fiancé, staring down at him.

The tall doctor just stood there for a moment, staring at the man on the other side with nothing but cold hatred in his grey eyes.

How could someone so talentless, insignificant and blind have gained your affection?

The poison that was his bitterness seared his soul and it felt like only remedy to it was the death of this man. He had thought himself to be above such petty thoughts and desires...but much to his shame, he found himself amusing the thought of breaking his doctor's oath to do no harm again and again. But those desires would remain as that, just fantasies and wishes. He'd never be as cruel as to take away your beloved fiancé, no matter how much he disliked him. He'd endure this pain and wish you only happiness.

"Well then, I better get these to the conference room..." your fiancé mutters with a soft sigh as he turns around, only to come face to face with the tall SCP whose black robes and white mask were covered in blood. Even though your fiancé was one of the taller doctors working in the facility, the plague doctor still towered over him.

"Fucking hell!" your fiancé yelled in surprise and slight panic, almost getting a heart attack when suddenly coming face to face with the deadly entity that had killed his mentor and so many others and that had some sort of fascination towards his fiancée. In his moment of panic, he spilled some of his now lukewarm coffee onto his white doctor's coat.

God damn it he hated this SCP.

"Ah, I startled you, my apologies," SCP-049 said politely with a small and elegant bow, however his words and gesture only made your fiancé frown. If there was one thing he could recognize, it was schadenfreude no matter how subtle or well hidden.

"Hardly," your fiancé replied dryly, or rather snapped back with a scowl on his face as he tried to wipe worst of the coffee stains off the fine white fabric. He'd have to get a spare coat from his office now. Oh joy.

After giving the plague doctor a scathing glare he started to take steps towards the exist, not wanting to share any words with the SCP that was both infatuated with his fiancée and haunted him in his nightmares. If possible, he'd only deal with him in his dreams...

He just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible,but much to his annoyance the SCP-049 started to walk by his side along the window, almost as if he was his mirror image or shadow. The plague doctor's gaze was fixated on him as it studied and evaluated him with rather imperious look to its grey eyes.

The atmosphere was so tense one could cut it with a knife and your fiancé could already feel the touch of the unnerving aura the uncanny SCP had. It was something eldritch in nature, something his mind could not fully wrap itself around.

 _I've had enough of this,_ your fiancé thought and stopped walking, deciding to face the bird masked doctor in hopes of making a potentially end to his nightmares. If he just faced his worries head on they'd surely fade away. And in the end, what could the SCP do? Nothing.

"Can I help you somehow?" he inquired coldly. At this moment, he did not feel intimated by the towering figure whose clothes were covered in blood and bits of flesh tissue. It could not reach him and he was angry and frustrated enough not to care about its deadly nature.

“You?" SCP-049 asked and let out a short, amused laugh as if the mere notion was ridiculous. “Goodness no,” the taller doctor said and shook his head. "For me to require your help...why I'd have to be in very desperate man indeed," the plague doctor finished with an eerie chuckle that echoed from the containment's walls. He was truly amused.

 _A man? Don't make me laugh_ , your fiancé thought and rolled his eyes, somehow managing not to scoff out loud. _A monster, that's what you are._

"No, I merely thought to congratulate a fellow..." It eyed your fiancé from head to toes in rather demeaning manner. "...'doctor' on his engagement and marriage,” 049 continued in very polite tone, but it could not fully hide its contempt for the man on the other side of the glass.

Your fiancé's lips curl into a strained and mocking smile, eyes locked with the plague doctor. Even though that thing could only emote with its eyes, tone of voice and body language, he could tell that the creature loathed him. He did not really mind, the feeling was more than mutual. Why, it almost felt like the SCP was treating him as a rival. What a laughable idea.

“Why, thank you. We haven't quite settled on the finer details of our honey moon, but I was thinking of another continent, who knows, maybe we'll change a facility afterwards. We have our sights set for something higher,” your fiancé said, every word dripping with venom.

He hoped his words would annoy the plague doctor who held you in such a high esteem. Sure, he was well aware that this was frivolous and beneath him, but he just couldn't let go of the fact this dangerous SCP who had killed his mentor longed for you.. “That of-course would mean my soon to be wife would not be able to assist you. A shame, it really is,” he added sarcastically.

049 looked ever so slightly amused by the human doctor's words, tilting his head to the side.

“I admit she is very skillful, diligent and has a very inquisitive mind, alas her biggest shortcoming is the fact she often times settles for...hmm, what's the word...” the plague doctor paused, tapping the temple of his mask as if trying to recall the word in English language, only to look like he recalled it the moment he shifted his gaze back to your fiance, “ah yes, **_mediocrity_**. She has potential for so much more.”

Your fiancé could feel his blood pressure rise again, higher and higher. How he hated this damnable SCP who'd soon be the reason he'd have to have blood pressure medication for sure.

As the two of them glared daggers at each other, 049 could sense the familiar putrid essence of the pestilence in the air, contaminating everything it touched. Its familiar aura was ever present, yet seemed stronger now than moments before.

Lately, he could swear its presence had grown stronger in the facility, and he never made mistakes when it came to the great pestilence.. He could swear it lingered in the walls, the floors...the humans who moved through the corridors, spreading the vile disease to anyone they came to.

SCP-049 brought his gloved hand to the beak of his mask, repulsed by the presence of it. How these people could not sense or see this horrifying affliction was something he could not understand. He could only wonder how many of the personnel inside were already afflicted. Such a horrid fate...to suffer the pestilence without even realizing it. He needed to cure them all somehow. His containment room was the only clean place, free of the Pestilence. It was safe...and he wished you'd be there.

But this was very worrying indeed, for he had not noticed the increased saturation of the Pestilence in the air or the surfaces around him prior to this. Usually he was quick to notice shifts like this, so the change had to be recent, which in turn would only mean...

He tapped his temple lightly, fingers hitting the chitinous white mask as he thought, only for his mind to come to the awful, cruel and devastating conclusion.

The plague doctor's grey eyes locked with your fiancé's as he took a step back, aghast.

"How long have you been afflicted?" 049 whispered in both horror and disbelief. However, the fear he felt was not for him, but for you.

With the disease having taken root in this man's flesh, it was only a matter of time before it would spread if it had not already. Just when had he contracted it? And more importantly, had the pestilence's putrid tendrils reached your flesh as well? He did not even want to think about that possibility.

 _No no, it can't have spread to her. I talked with her only few days ago and she was fine_ , SCP-049 concluded, yet the gnawing worry for your well-being remained. The pestilence was an insidious thing, spreading and growing in manner it was sometimes hard to detect. He'd have to see you soon to make sure you were healthy and safe .

The plague doctor quickly regained his composure after the shocking realization, his mind going through all the possibilities and facts.

Losing you to a man who had no talent whatsoever when it came to medicine was something he could endure, willing to swallowing the bitterness and not showing it to you, but...to lose you to the horrible affliction? No, no it was something he refused to let come to pass! He had to contain this! He could not bear the idea of losing you to this sickness.

"….what?" Your fiancé asked in utter dismay, not quite sure if he believed his ears. Really? was the plague doctor pulling this card now? First Dr. Hamm and now him? There was no rhyme nor reason to this SCP's behaviour. He felt and was perfectly fine.

"I did not foresee this," SCP-049 said woefully. What hostility he had felt towards your fiancé had just faded away upon realizing the horror your love had to go through now. No doubt you'd be scared and broken as well upon learning this fact. "But it is a fortunate I caught this now and not later. We must act quickly and prevent its spread. The cure must be administered before the pestilence can do further damage."

The plague doctor sighed as he studied the man on the other side of the window. What a poor and unfortunate soul this one was, but it was a mercy he had come when he had.

No doubt you'd be shocked to hear of your fiancé suffering from the great pestilence. But, you were well aware of the horrors this affliction offered, how it had destroyed countless lives. You'd be hurt and scared yes, but you'd understand.

A more selfish man would have let this man suffer the agony of this disease, but he could not do that to you. No, as much as he despised your fiancé, as a doctor it was his duty to cure him and ensure you'd live a happy life free of the shadow of this affliction.

_Yes, her happiness and safety is all that matters._

"Considering how well it worked on doctor Hamm, I rather not."

The plague doctor snapped back to the reality when he heard the man on the other side of the glass say those words.

Your fiancé was not able to hide the spiteful smile as he took a sip from his now cold coffee cup, trying not to wince at the taste. The rare look of pure shock and disbelief in the plague doctors eyes was one he'd remember fondly for years to come. "I feel perfectly fine. So, I guess there is nothing to cure, " he added with a shrug.

For some odd reason he found himself amusing the thought of him standing there at the altar as a zombie and imagining what your expression would look like.

SCP-049 just stood there at a loss for words, staring at the man in disbelief. He had not seen such selfishness before. He straightened his back, staring at your fiancé with eyes that now lacked any sympathy for his condition.

"I did not expect such insolence and selfishness from a fellow doctor, " 049 whispered, and though his voice was now calm and steady, one could hear the cold, controlled rage and hate in his tone. He no longer hid his hate for this man. "Not only would you resign yourself to the affliction but her as well!" the black robed doctor was almost pleading now. Trying to reason with the man. "You'd put her in danger? How she has affection for you I will never understand.”

 _And you'd be any better? Laughable,_ your fiancé thought. Even a blind man would see that this SCP had feelings for you. Well, as much as a creature like it could. He had never felt comfortable with you interacting with 049 and after this there was no way he'd let it happen.

To be honest, he almost felt happy about this "diagnosis".

The two of them stared each other down. A lesser doctor and researcher would have ran upon hearing accusations of being afflicted with pestilence, but not him. No, he was not going to give in an inch to this humanoid SCP who had clearly become obsessed as much with you as his damned cure.

"Well, she has not sensed anything wrong with me, let alone the whole facility, so," he lifted the coffee cup slightly at SCP-049 before bringing it to his lips as he turned around to leave the observation room. "Shows how much she has learned from you."

The plague doctor was silent, his eyes closed. He looked so calm and collected, but it took all of his will power to maintain that demeanour.

"I don't know what I hoped for. Time and time again I try to teach the Foundation about the pestilence and my cure, but all I find here is disappointment,” he said but your fiancé had already left the room, not bothering to stay and listen to the SCP's ramblings.

Once alone inside his containment unit. He could feel the unfamiliar sensation of...panic and fear grip his body and mind.

His beloved assistant was in danger, constantly close to the great Pestilence that her fiancé carried in his flesh. She worked with him...slept with him.

“I cannot let her get sick,” SCP-049 whispered, seeking support from the wall as his body was overwhelmed with emotion. He was trembling, a sensation he was not familiar with.

He had to do something. He could not let you suffer under the heavy and painful shadow of this disease. He loved you too much to let that happen and would never forgive himself if became afflicted by the pestilence because of your fiancé.

"I...I need to see her, tell her about the pestilence. I have to talk with her!"

He hit the glass few times as the sense of despair and hopelessness of not being able to help you took hold of him. The glass did not yield and he remained contained, unable to do anything about this.

“I have to protect her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for lack of reader. This was the only fiancé focused chapter ^^ During writing this I was mostly keeping track of the coffee cup's state...


	4. Nightmares

_I'm not like that...I'm not like that. I can't be that cruel of a person...I-I just can't. I'm not a hypocrite._

It is all you can think as you hurry through the long corridors of the Foundation's facility, still visibly shaken by your brief, yet still all too long interview with SCP-035.

Needless to say your mind was in a state of utter chaos right now, with your memories, emotions and thoughts tangled up in a mess you could not sort out no matter how hard you tried. Truth be told, you had never felt this disoriented or detached from the reality; it was as if the world around you had become hazy and muted as you traversed through the endless and ever changing maze of your own mind.

Lost in the depths of your mind you fail to take notice of the personnel that pass you, which results in you almost crashing into few researchers and spilling their coffee cups. They give you angry glares and comment your clumsiness before quickly continuing onwards, failing to notice the look of utter distress or the hint of fear in your eyes. Everyone was too overworked and stressed to heed or even see your pain, after all a simple assistant was nothing but visual background noise.

You did not really mind.

The last thing you wanted was for someone to see you almost break down after an interview with the infamous SCP-035.

_I am really trying to understand the pestilence and help him._

You try to defend yourself, but no matter how hard you try to dismiss and ignore the theatre mask's words and vile comments about your behavior and nature, the gnawing feeling remained in your mind and heart; and it felt so very painful. You had been second guessing your every action the moment you had walked away from the interview with SCP-035.

You had thought yourself to genuinely care for the contained....but now...now you weren't so sure any more. Was SCP-035 really right about you? Well to you it certainly felt that way right now.

Were you just playing along and amusing the SCPs for the time being with no real intent to help or act? Your "kindness" had no place in this facility and neither the foundation nor the SCPs benefited from it. If anything the way you acted would end up doing more damage than good.

As a simple assistant all you could do was wish well for everyone; a cold comfort for a entity that was contained against his will.

_It is right. I'm really just playing the role of a saint so that they'd be more content with their imprisonment. I'm the worst kind of person there is._

You knew better than well that SCP-049 would always be working on the cure for the pestilence and seek to take care of each and everyone he deemed afflicted, no matter who it was. His cure was the only answer and no one wanted. As horrible as it felt, you knew that you would do nothing should you or your fiancé become afflicted despite having been the plague doctor's “most beloved assistant “ (his words) for over a year. You would not heed his words and would eventually just end up abandoning him. The plague doctor would find nothing but disappointment and betrayal in you upon learning you were just like everyone else in this facility.

What a cruel and thoughtless person you were, too blinded by your own joy and happiness to even consider such a thing or how your actions might hurt others...even if they were SCPs.

The encounter had made you question your values and your whole personality. You were ridden with self doubt that ate away at your mental stability. SCP-035's words had cut deep and part of you feared the wounds would never heal.

You shake your head, trying to banish the invasive and unpleasant thoughts to no avail. They were like long and thin black worms wriggling through your mind, trying to bury as deep as possible so that you'd never be free of them.

 _SCP-035 was just trying to get underneath my skin. All that vile mask does is lie and manipulate...trying to get me to do its bidding,_ you try to reassure yourself as you hasten your steps, as if trying to escape the maddening thoughts that started to focus on your fiancé more and more. Yet the thoughts and the mask's foreboding and malevolent words kept echoing in your mind, making it impossible to escape the creeping fear that had taken root in your heart and was growing by the minute.

_**"As I see it, the "till death do us part" might come sooner than you expect."** _

Your steps come to a sudden halt when those specific words crawl to your mind, despite trying your best not to think of them. Without any warning, your breathing starts to get frantic and it feels like you can't get enough oxygen no matter how hard and deep you breathe in. It was as if there was a lump of black tar pressing against your chest and throat, making it almost painful to inhale and exhale.

Not only had SCP-035 attacked you, but it had also hinted of a threat to your finance's life...and that the plague doctor was in fact in love with you; possessively so no less. This all was simply too much for you to take in all at once. Your mind and heart had trouble accepting the shocking truths presented to you.

"Lies, all lies. They just have to be," you whisper with a look of pure distress and despair in your eyes as you try to calm down.

Yet...deep down you knew that the theatre mask had spoken truth and nothing but the truth to you during your interview.

_There is no way SCP-049 has feelings towards me, it is just not possible!_

“Look what a mess you have gotten yourself into,” you whisper as the walls around you start to seemingly close in on you, ready to crush you underneath their weight. Your head was spinning and it really started to seem like you were on a verge of having a panic attack.

Only now did you finally understand and see that your partner had been right all along about his observations. about how SCP-049 was interested in you. You had been too naive and blind to see the truth presented before your very eyes. You did not want to believe it, for such a thing was simply not possible, not with an SCP...or so you had thought.

The more you thought of the plague doctor, the more you realized just how many subtle hints he had given to you...and how affectionate his words towards you had been while still remaining professional.

“ _ **I had hoped for a more...capable and worthwhile partner in life for you, my assistant."**_

The blinding veil of joy and bliss born from your love and relationship had been mercilessly ripped away by SCP-035 and you could finally observe the situation with clear mind. Still, a small selfish part of you wished you had not come to this realization so that you would have been spared from these chaotic emotions and thoughts.

The interview had ended shortly after the theatre mask had hinted of the possible threat to your fiancé's and of the obsession the good doctor had developed towards you. At that point the mannequin body had deteriorated to the point it was literally crumbling apart. The last thing the mask had told you, followed by a manic laughter had been,

_"I'll be watching what fate befalls you. Please do make it interesting. It gets so awfully boring in here. I so want to see what he'll do to you-"_

Now that you thought about it, you could not really even remember concluding the interview with the mask or leaving the room. You had woken up to the world around you only when you found yourself sitting in a large and comfortable chair with two doctors across you asking you questions as a part of the psych evaluation; a necessary precaution after a rather long contact with SCP-035. The Foundation had to make sure you would not go and off yourself or anyone else because of the mask; that would be just waste of human resources.

You had answered their questions calmly and with little emotion, not showing a single sign of worry or distress. You truly did not know how you had managed to keep such a straight face and even joke a bit with the doctors about both 035 and 049...but once outside and good distance away, the emotions had just overwhelmed you as the painful weight of the truth and realization had settled down onto your shoulders.

An SCP was obsessed and in love with you. It was far from healthy, especially when it was SCP-049 whose touch killed everyone.. If the higher ups learned about this, they'd either make you into a test subject or fire you and give you so many amnestics you'd not even remember your own name, let alone your fiancé.

“What should I do?” you ask from yourself, voice trembling a bit.

SCP-035 had let you off easy, you just knew it. You knew the extent or the damage that damnable theatre mask could do to a person's mind; from making them commit a murder, suicide, murder-suicide or worse. If it had wanted, it could have manipulated and corrupted your mind to make you kill your fiancé whom it clearly detested.

But it had chosen to do nothing of the sort, merely telling you some cruel facts about your situation. SCP-035 clearly wanted to see how the events would unravel around you, your fiancé and SCP-049 and _**that**_ terrified you the most.

Something dangerous was brewing underneath the surface and you had no idea what.

_There is something going on that I do not know, but what?_

The thought keeps circling in your mind as you start climbing up the stairs towards the upper floors.

There was the talk about Chaos Insurgency having set its eyes upon this facility. However, now you felt like it was more than just talk because some of the sentient SCPs were acting strangely. For example SCP-079 had stopped talking about its desire to escape which was uncharacteristic to it. It was courteous with you, rarely deleting any files that involved you. It seemed to like you.

Your legs feel like wet noodles as climb up the last set of stairs to the floor with the conference room, seeking support from the wall the whole way up. Upon reaching the last step, you lift your gaze up to see the group of doctors you were supposed to meet with discussing something with your fiancé who for some reason had coffee spilled all over his doctor's coat.

 _What is going on?_ You wonder as you slowly and carefully approach the doctors. When your love finally notices you approaching them, he hurries over to you and pulls you with him with serious look in his eyes.

"Come, there is something we need to discuss together."

* * *

As you sit with the psychologist, a group of doctors and your fiancé, all you could think about is the mask's words and how right it had been about you. Your gaze finds your fiancé who sits there with a calm expression on his face, but you could tell that he was disturbed and worried. SCP-035's words about death doing you two apart still echoed in your mind, but you decide to keep your mouth shut about that.

The last thing he needed was more stress onto his shoulders. Being accused of having been afflicted by the pestilence was stressful enough.

The tall plague doctor was now extremely agitated and hostile towards your fiancé while demanding to speak with you in order to make sure you were safe and sound and not touched by the pestilence.

Before the discussion with SCP-035 you had never even amused the thought that your love would be the one to be afflicted by the pestilence. In your mind, it would always be you and that'd be it.

When you had started working with SCP-049 you had known and awaited the day you'd become afflicted, after all it was bound to happen. But after a year, you had forgotten all about it. Things would just come to and end since his mind could not be changed about the pestilence. It would have been such an easy way out, to be yet another researcher afflicted.

_I'm really a coward, am I not?_

What on earth could you say to SCP-049 now? That you were going to ignore all of his words and warnings and just get married to a man who was suffering the disease with no intent to do anything about it? Sure, you could not sense the pestilence, but to not even believe that there was anything wrong with your love when according to the SCP-049 he was suffering a fate worse than death?

Oh how painful your betrayal was going to be to the masked SCP, especially when the good doctor so clearly had feelings for you.

You compassionate actions had brought nothing but misery to you and those around you.

"What do you think about all this?" your fiancé asks softly from you, his hand finding your arm. He saw how distraught you were and how you seemed to be lost in the depths of your own mind once again.

His loving and reassuring touch brings you back to the reality and you manage to give him a small smile...even though your eyes reflected the pain, sorrow and self loathe you were struggling with.

"Only that SCP-035 is right about me," you reply despite knowing that agreeing with anything that possessive theatre mask said could easily get your employment terminated.

"That I am probably the cruelest person in this facility"

Your work with SCP-049 came to and end that day, with everything the theatre mask had said proving to be true about you.

* * *

_'How did I end up here?' You find yourself wondering as you slowly make your way through the impermeable darkness of the never ending void. “Why am I here?”_

_Every where you look only pitch black darkness opens before your eyes and you find yourself all alone in the empty and starless void. "Is anyone here? ...anyone?" You inquire quietly from the dark void that remains silent as you make your way forward, though you really had no destination._

_Suddenly you hear a sound of heavy church bell tolling in the distance, its low, almost mournful notes resonating through the emptiness._

_Only now did you realize that you were walking on a thin layer of water, the sound of your wet foot steps echoing eerily in the dark world. For some reason a scent of iron lingered in the air. You could almost taste it. As the confusion starts to turn into panic, you start turning around in the darkness, trying to see anything in the shadowy void as the primal fear of dark starts to overtake your body and mind._

_A sense of relief washes over you when you finally see a large wooden door in the distance. It stood there in empty space like a monolith that beckoned you to approach it, wanting to bestow you with both the gift and curse of knowledge. This was just so bizarre._

_You can hear the bell toll again, this time closer and for some reason, it sounded like wedding bell to you. It was like their low and sad tolls were heralding your arrival._

_"Right...I am getting married..." you think and when you look down, you see that you are wearing a long white wedding dress with a veil over your face. In your hands was a bouguet of white flowers._

_The darkness is finally pushed aside and you suddenly find yourself standing among a sea of candles that opened a path to the door that was now ever so slightly ajar._

_You start making your way through the candle lit path, their red hued light eerie and dreadful, reminding you of blood. Though it was your wedding day, each step you take hastens your heartbeat. You have this gnawing feeling that it was not a wedding you were going to, but a funeral._

_The bell tolls louder, the sound almost deafening and shaking you to your core._

_You take a deep breath and walk through the the heavy wooden doors that open before you, revealing a chapel inside that had been decorated just the way you had dreamed of._

_The fear and anxiety that had gripped your heart while travelling through the darkness just washed away when you you see not only your co-workers, but also your closest of friends and family sitting in the church benches. They were all there to celebrate this day with you and your fiancé and soon to be husband. But...for some reason none of them turn to look at you as you make your way through the isle that was covered in red._

_After what felt like an eternity, you finally lift your gaze from the bouquet of white roses to look at the altar and your fiancé who was waiting for you._

_Alas, it was not your beloved who was waiting at the altar, but SCP-049 with a priest behind him who was wearing SCP-035. The theatre mask's expression joyous, eyes and mouth secreting that black liquid onto the priest's clothes and body that were already half rotten and decayed and barely held together._

_'What?' your mind goes blank as you stare at the two of them in shock. 'No no no...this can't be. This has to be some kind of awful joke,' you try to reason, only for your gaze to shift from the two SCPs to the altar that stood between them... and the sickening sight on it._

_It takes few seconds from your mind to understand what you were looking at, but when the pieces click and you realize just what you were looking at, you open your mouth to let out a blood curdling scream of pure despair, terror and agony....but no voice comes out._

_On the altar lied your fiancé, the love of your life, with his chest opened and body mangled. There were all sorts of surgical tools scattered across the altar that had been defiled and turned into an operating table for the plague doctor to use._

_You try to stop walking and flee from the chapel in panic, but it was as if you were possessed, slowly moving towards the altar despite wanting nothing more than to escape._

_Only now did you realize that you were not walking in a layer of water, but blood that was flowing endlessly from your fiancé's corpse, filling the chapel and the empty void that opened outside these walls with it._

_You look around in terror for help from your friends and family but to your terror they too are dead with their, eyes mouth and nostrils bleeding with blood and black liquid akin to that of the mask's. Their bodies were slumped against one another, already taken by rigor mortis._

_Your long dress that drags along the floor is getting drenched in the blood that keeps climbing up, turning the white fabric into deep red and weighting it down until each step you take is exhausting, yet you keep moving forward since it was your fate to be wed to your groom. You'd be bound to him, this union one you had waited for so long._

_"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." SCP-035 started to speak, but you zone his words out, only able to focus on SCP-049 who extends his hand to you._

_'Someone...help me,' you plead, trapped inside your own mind as you place your soft hand onto his gloved one. He was so tall and intimidating, yet there was a gentle and loving look to those grey eyes hidden behind the white mask._

_"I've waited so long for this day to come," the plague doctor says softly as he helps you up the few steps before pulling you into a loving yet possessive embrace. The beak of his mask caresses your neck, as if kissing your soft skin._

_"My love....my most beloved apprentice,” SCP-049 whispered as it nuzzled your neck, holding your trembling body close, like he wanted to possess everything you had to offer. “Not even death will do us part.”_

_His hand cups your face, thumb catching few tears of fear that ran down your cheek. You felt like you were freezing despite his warm embrace. You felt so cold...so scared and alone._

“ _We'll cure the pestilence together...” he said, turning to look at your fiancé's corpse that lied on the altar. You could swear the plague doctor sneered at the body, his eyes narrowed with malevolent gleam to them before turning his attention back to you._

_"One patient at the time."_

You are yanked from the nightmare in almost violent manner, your form sitting up on the bed with a layer of cold sweat glistening on your skin. Your breathing was laboured and your heart was racing, beating against your chest in maddening rhythm. Needless to say your mind was disoriented and confused. Your body still half asleep, mind wavering between the dreaming and waking world. As you peer into the darkness of the bedroom, you can feel how sense of dread creeped into your soul. The pitch black room reminded you all too much of the never-ending void you had made your way through in the dream.

All of your senses were heightened due to the darkness and fear and for a moment you could swear the smell of blood lingered in the air and the SCP-049 was in the room with you. You swallow heavily and grip the sheets underneath you as you slowly start to turn your head to look at your fiancé despite being almost too afraid to do so. In your minds eye you could see his desecrated corpse just lying there...torn apart and bloody. A part of you was afraid that sight awaited you.

_**"As I see it, the "till death do us part" might come sooner than you expect."** _

SCP-035's words echo once again in the depths of your already panicking and anxious mind and you could swear you saw the white mask in the darkness of the bedroom, though it could just have been a trick of your mind.

The wires around your heart tighten and you find yourself holding your breath when you see your beloved lying next to you with his body completely still and silent.

 _Is he dead? He can't be dead...he...he just can't!_ You think in despair as your body starts to tremble with fear and anxiety consuming your mind. Was it the pestilence? Had he died because of it? Had SCP-049 been right all along?! Why had you not listened to it...why...

Your mind draws blank and all the anxiety and fear just disintegrate from your body when your fiancé mutters something incoherent in his sleep about “garden gnome doctorate” before turning to his side and stealing what little covers you had left in doing so. No wonder you had felt cold in the dream. At least one of you was seeing good dreams.

 _Thank goodness it was just a nightmare,_ you think and rub the spot between your eyes, finally able to somewhat relax and sort your mind.

You could not recall when you had last seen such a strong and vivid nightmare. Usually your dreams faded away quickly as the morning progressed, but somehow you just knew you'd remember this one the rest of your life. For some reason, the nightmare almost felt more akin to a memory rather than a dream which left you so confused. It had just felt real.

After taking a moment to calm down you finally glance at the rather retro looking electronic clock on your night table. It was little past 4 am.

_There is no way I can catch any sleep after that. Better just get up._

A small chill runs up your spine when your bare feet hit the cool wooden floor boards. “Aargh cold!” you mutter underneath your breath before quickly and quietly sneaking to the adjacent bathroom to wash your face and hopefully worst of the nightmare away.

Now that you had relinquished the bed completely to your love, he turns in his sleep once more and thus wrapping himself up completely in the covers he had so masterfully stolen from you.

Once inside the bathroom you open the tap and take a good look yourself in the mirror, taking a moment to reflect on your actions and the past events. Your reflection looked so tired, defeated and somehow deflated, like all joy and happiness had been forced out of you.

 _It was just a dream, my mind's way of handling with all the stress that has been piling on me,_ you tell yourself as you wash your face with cool water that helps you to wake up, yet the dream lingered with you.

You had never seen a nightmare that vivid or foreboding and to be honest as much as you hated to admit it, it made you worry and wonder. But you did not believe in premonitions (despite working with all sort of crazy items and beings.). It had simply been a product of your subconscious thought. Your brain had just processed all the things you had experience during the past few weeks into one hell of a bad fever dream.

The only silver lining in this chaotic and horrible situation was that your contract was not going to be terminated and you could continue working for the Foundation. Everything else though was a complete mess. And the worst was still to come. Every researcher was now aware of the plague doctor's obsession for you, but whether anyone knew it was romantic remained unknown. Both you and your love had kept your mouths shut about that because knowing the Foundation, they might just marry you off to the plague doctor to see what'd happen, as unethical as it would be.

Now you were scheduled to have an interview session with the plague doctor about your fiancé's condition with half of the doctors and researchers there to see how it'd go. No pressure, none whatsoever.

You grip the porcelain sink's edges as your body trembles, overwhelmed by the emotions you had kept locked inside since you had walked out of the interview with SCP-035. You had messed up so badly at work that it almost felt like you deserved a painful nightmare like this as punishment and penance. “What will you do with SCP-049?” you ask from your reflection in the mirror who had no answers for you and even if it did, you'd not be happy with any of them. “What will you say to him? What will you tell him? ...what can you say?”

The reflection in the mirror smiles sadly back at you.

“I don't know.”

* * *

“...are you feeling well?”

The intense staring contest between you and the frog gnome statue came to an abrupt end when you hear your fiancé address you.

 _Huh?_ You think and blink a couple off times before finally turning your gaze from the window that opened into your garden to look up at your fiancé who was holding a glass coffee pot in his hand with somewhat worried look in his eyes.

For few fleeting seconds you just stare at him with completely baffled look on your face before his words finally click in your mind. You had become completely lost in the maze of your own thoughts and memories once again while staring into the garden that was slowly wilting away due to the approaching winter. Morning frost covered the leaves, plants and the beady eyed frog gnome aberration you had been staring at intensely without even realizing it.

“What? Oh of course, why wouldn't I?” you quickly reply and give a bit nervous laugh, feeling so stupid.

_Gods, he must be having second thoughts about marrying me by now. I'm a complete mess._

You felt so flustered and embarrassed. The poorly slept night and the nightmare combined with everything that had happened over the past few weeks had left you completely drained both physically and emotionally. Your brain was not working at all and your last interview with SCP-049 would be in few days. You just hoped you'd pick yourself up by then. 

Your fiancé gives you a mischievous grin and gazes you up and down couple of times with amused gleam to his eyes, clearly not believing a single word you said.

“Really now? I don't quite believe you, if you don't mind me saying. I've asked you 3 times how much coffee do you want and all you do is stare that statue of mine you so seem to hate. As I recall it, you always avoid looking at it, so this is quite perplexing. I'd say either you are giving me the silent treatment or your mind is miles away,” your beloved jokes as he fills the white coffee mug in front of you half way. It bore the foundation's black logo on the side, almost looking like some extraordinary object to be contained within that facility. Your love pours himself another cup to the brim before sitting down across you.

The two of you had stolen the mugs from one of the break rooms when no one had been watching. You recall fondly how you two had stuffed the mugs into your hand bag before making a daring escape, barely able to contain your laughter while doing so. They were quite the rarity outside the facilities.

“And I choose the latter option, so what's up?”

You manage a real smile now, but it is tired and sad.

 _What isn't up?_ You wonder as you gaze at the once bitten piece of toast on your plate; you did not feel hungry at all. Your interview with SCP-035 had been one disaster and now SCP-049 accused your fiancé of being afflicted with the pestilence while clearly obsessed with you. And if all that was not bad enough, the theatre mask had left you questioning yourself and your self-worth.

A small and sad scoff escapes you as you pull the coffee mug closer to you. Hopefully the liquid inside would chase away the drowsiness.

"Sorry, I just...I just don't know any more. Too much has happened in too short of a time frame. I think my mind is just in override mode,” you explain and wrap your hands around the steaming hot ceramic mug to warm your fingers. The mornings were turning colder by the day and soon the frost would not melt away. “Not to mention I slept extremely poorly last night. I don't know if you noticed me getting up like 4 am?”

You close your eyes for few seconds to rest them, only to find yourself once again all alone in the church with SCP-049 close to you.. The nightmare lingered in your mind; just beneath your surface thoughts. Dig one layer deeper and you'd be reliving that horrible memory of a dream.

_Don't think about that,_ you tell yourself. _It was just a dream._

“Oh? Why is that? Did I steal the covers again?” your fiancé inquired as he sat down across you, grabbing a bagel off a metal serving tray. "If so, I am Sorry. But, no I don't think I noticed anything. I slept like a log."

“Well, that too...” you mutter as you stare at the surface of your coffee, only to avert your gaze back to the frozen garden. The dark hue of the hot brewage reminded you all too much of the black liquid and blood pouring from your family and friend's eyes and mouths.

You could still recall the dream in frightening clarity and detail. The reek of blood, the sound of the bells tolling for you, the blood soaked wedding dress as you dragged your feet through that sea of blood....and the cold yet gentle embrace you had found yourself in. All of it had felt so real, so vivid and palpable.

You needed to get this all off your chest and hear your love say what silly nightmare it was, that nothing like that could ever happen to the two of you.

"I think had the worst nightmare of my life," you finally say with a tired sigh. “Feels like I haven't slept at all.”

"Ah I see. Nightmares about how things go catastrophically wrong no doubt?" he joked, clearly trying to make you smile and lighten up your mood. “Like the cake exploding or sliding onto the floor when we cut it? That one nemesis doctor of yours barging in to object when we exchange vows? He looked rather devastated when you did not hand the invite to him, but to his assistant. Such a sad sight. I mean...he had his hand out ready to take it and you just walked past him so cruelly.”

A small giggle finally escapes your lips as you imagine all of those things happening during your wedding and the reception. Those disasters sounded so much better than the nightmare scenario you had in mind. At this point you'd welcome all those mishaps with open arms since they at least would end up in funny stories to tell to your family and friends who had no idea about the Foundation.

Somehow your fiancé always made you feel better. No matter what problem you had, he knew always how to provide observant advice...something you now wished you had heeded.

“I wish,” you reply with a sigh as you bring the coffee mug to your lips to take a sip. It was dark roast and strong, just the way your fiancé loved it. You however it made only grimace. "More like marrying the wrong person...." you add somewhat sheepishly, eyes down cast. You were somewhat afraid of your fiancé's reaction. What would he think of you dreaming about marrying the SCP he so loathed.

_A thing._

_Y_ our love doesn't seem to be offended, if anything he seems to get even more interested in deciphering the nightmare that had stolen your rest away.

"Oh? This I have to hear! Let me guess, it was that one researcher from sector 4? No no! It has to be that one guard who totally had a crush on you for a while! What was his name...,” your fiancé tried to guess with a grin on his face.

“A doctor actually,” you say and add few cubes of sugar and a dash of milk into your coffee, swirling it hard enough to create a small whirlpool inside the large ceramic mug. You really did not understand how your fiancé could drink this acid he brewed every morning and even took to work in Thermos.

"Hmmm...him or her?" he asks as he tries to think which of the doctors could possibly take your hand in matrimony in a nightmare.

"It, actually,” you finally admit while staring at the surface of your coffee. You could feel your heart beat elevate as distress and anxiety start to take hold of your mind and body.

_What will he think of all this? Will he hate me? Even so, I have to get this off my chest. I can't endure this nightmare alone._

The silence between the two of you felt unbearable. It lingered in the air, heavy and nearly suffocating.

"It?” Your fiancé asks, his voice barely more than a whisper. He understood right away that it was an SCP and had a better than a good guess what it was. The silence returns for few more seconds, seconds that felt like minutes. You can see him visibly tense up, jaw clenching. “...049?”

It had been an awful nightmare, yes, but to still dream of marrying him after everything that had happened. The plague doctor had deemed your fiancé sick and clearly held affection for you that border lined obsession. Given the opportunity, there was no telling what it'd do to you.

"049," you confirm as you place the coffee cup back onto the table, ready to endure whatever scolding that was coming your way. You regretted the way you had not listened to his words of warning about the plague doctor. You had been too naïve and blinded by your own joy and happiness to see the depth of the affection the mysterious SCP had developed for you. You felt so bad, so stupid and foolish.

Your fiancé opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it when he saw how distressed, anxious and fearful you were, like you were still experiencing that horrible dream, unable to break free of it. Your body was visibly trembling as you recalled the night again.

"Do you want to talk about it? The dream and well, everything," he asked quietly, his voice now so soft and comforting. He could see how much you were suffering, how all that had happened was becoming too much for you to endure all alone. Seeking help while in Foundation's service could be hard despite one third of the employees being doctors.

Your eyes moisten a bit as you are lost in the memory of that dream once more, recalling in detail how it had felt like to be in SCP-049's cold embrace. You could still feel his leather gloved fingers caressing your cheek in most loving manner as your dead friends and family watched the ceremony from their seats...their eyes glassy and bodies rigid with blood everywhere. As you look at your fiancé, all you can see in your minds eye is the altar that his desecrated and mangled corpse had decorated...cured of the pestilence

You sob a bit and start wiping the tears away that forced their way into your eyes.

“I'm sorry,” you say as your fiancé takes your hands into his, squeezing them a bit. His large hands felt so warm and comforting, chasing away some of the fear that had taken root in your heart. He was there with you; alive and well. “For everything. For not listening to you and seeing you were right.”

“Hey hey, what's wrong? It was just a nightmare and will remain as that. There is nothing to worry about.”

"I just can't describe the feeling of the dream, it was so...otherworldly yet so real. All my friends and family were there, dead, with blood pouring from their eyes and mouths as they bore witness to the ceremony. SCP-049 was waiting for me at the altar with the priest who was wearing SCP-035. He- it looked so happy to see me, like it had waited for me a long time. And you...you were..." The words refused to come out but your fiancé caught the drift. “And when I woke up, I thought you were dead for a moment. It felt more like a memory rather than a dream. Dreams are supposed to fade away, so why can I still recall **everything**. The scent of blood, the weight of my blood soaked dress and his cold embrace..."

"Honestly I think that was just me taking the covers from you," your fiancé tries to joke, but it only makes you sob and break down a bit more.

Your beloved quickly embraces you, hand starting to caress your head in comforting manner.

“Come now, don't you worry about a thing. Everything will turn out ok. We will get married and take a long honeymoon to get rid of all the work worries and stress. This whole mess with the plague doctor and your interview with that mask have just taken a too much of a toll on you. It was just a dream and will have only as much power over you as you let it have. “

You nod, a smile returning to your face as you nuzzle his neck and shoulder, even if it is a sad and melancholic one.

"But it is not just the dream. I can't stop thinking about what happened with SCP-035. The things it told me about myself and about those around me. Than thing is right about me."

Your fiancé just keeps you in his comforting embrace and listens to your worries and fears. He now regretted the fact he had not argued against your interview with that possessive mask. Oh how he loathed to see you like this, scared and vulnerable.

"I just play a friend to the SCPs without any real intent or wish to help them! I can offer nothing but kind words and betrayal to them. I've tried so hard to understand the nature of the pestilence and his cure over the past year....and now I'm just going to abandon 049. It has taught and told me all about how horrible it is to live with the affliction, that it is fate worse than death. And now my fiancé is touched by the great pestilence and I will do nothing!”

“Are you saying I should let it cure me?” He asks jokingly.

“No! But...I can't...I don't know what I should do any more. What should I tell 049? I'm the worst person in that facility.“

Your fiancé moves one hand to cup your face, to make you look into his eyes. He refused to see you like this.

"Hey, listen to me. I marry you for the person I know you are, a kind and empathetic woman who always tries to see good in others and seeks to understand and help those around her,” he told you, hesitating for a moment before adding. “...even if they are SCPs. “

You sniffle a bit and dry your eyes into his shirt.

“You work within the boundaries you are given and there is little you can do to expand them. You have to realize that even you have your limits, and there is only so much you can do before those limits reach their breaking point,” he continues softly while caressing your head.

“The last thing you should do is give any weight to that damn mask's words. All it does is manipulate and hurt others. SCPs can't change their nature and you have done more for them than anyone I know, helping in the ways you can and are able to, which is probably why SCP-049 has developed that obsession towards you. They have your sympathy, which is more than most deserve.”

“I'd just feel better if it was me who was sick.”

”Something like this was bound to happen eventually with that thing."

He hated SCP-049 for killing his mentor and feared it for loving you, but in this moment he did not want to patronize you. He did not want you to lose that spark and empathic outlook on life.

_It said you were in danger and I can't stop thinking about it. What if you really is wrong with you? What if something bad will happen to you and I can't do anything to help? What if the pestilence is real?_

The gnawing fears in your heart were starting to form a maelstrom of negative emotions again, but your fiancée's presence managed to calm the waters.

“Don't you worry your little head. I'm not the first one to be afflicted," he said, having clearly sensed what was on your mind. "And I will not be the last one either. All the so called “afflicted" are fine and you know it.”

This was one of the things you so loved about him. He did not deal in “what ifs.”

You close your eyes and just enjoy the warmth of his hands around your form. Your love's strong heart beat and the familiar cologne mixed with his own scent helped calm you down. You felt so safe and content and could barely recall that horrible dream now.

The two of you stayed like that for a moment, but soon enough you'd have to leave for the facility. Work did not wait.

“I know. I'll have that last interview session with SCP-049 it requested and endure it, no matter how painful it is for me. I owe it that much.”

Your fiancé is quiet despite clearly wanting to object to your words. You'd never see that damn plague doctor again if it was up to him, but he saw how it'd be beneficial for your career to tie loose ends before moving forward.

“Say, what would you think about moving to a different facility after the marriage? I could apply for teaching position and you could continue working as an assistant. I mean, the doctors here are practically fighting over you. You'd be a welcome addition anywhere.”

“Away from here?” you wonder out loud. As you thought about it, you kinda liked the idea, even if it felt like running away from your troubles. But, maybe that would be alright.

SCP-049 had probably existed for centuries and would no doubt quickly forget all about you.

”You know, I think I'd like that. A fresh start,” you murmur and close your eyes with a small smile on your lips. “Away from all the pompous doctor and manipulative masks.”

“Without any sentient SCPs around that could fall in love with you,” your fiancé continues, only for his voice and expression turn serious. “Just promise me one thing, please.”

“Yes?” you softly, listening closely now that your love had become so serious. However, he can't keep a straight face and cracks a small smile.  
“Please don't marry 049...I am not sure my suit would fit him.”

Your eyes are bright like stars and full of love.

“Not to worry, the only doctor I have eyes for is you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is one flaming bin of garbage. Next one will be better. I just can't find a right way to put reader's feelings into writing. Next chapter will be all about SCP-049 now that I've established some minor things. 
> 
> For some reason, I've really grown to love writing the fiancé who was supposed to be some guy I mention like once or twice in the story.
> 
> Now I keep wondering whether I should change the rating to M due to the horror elements or not.Puhu äänellä jonka kuulen, aamu kohtaus.

**Author's Note:**

> I could listen to TheVolgun's videos the whole day. Been on a bit of an SCP binge lately.  
> It has been such a long time since I've written SCP-049 that I can't get his tone or vocabulary right >.<
> 
> I do wonder who is going to get sick with Pestilence...


End file.
